Carrying a Burden Season 2
by FireWithin01
Summary: Sequel to 'Carrying a Burden Season 1'. Follows the story of couple, Serena Cummings OC and Daryl Dixon, as they try there best to survive in a crazy world. Follows TWD Season 2.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back everyone. I couldn't go long without more Serena and Daryl, and I figured neither could you. I thought I'd start season 2 off for you all. For anyone who hasn't read **_**Carrying A Burden – Season 1**_**, this is a continuation of that story, and I suggest you check that out first. **

**Also, I know in the show it was only a day between the end of Season 1 and the start of Season 2, but to help speed up the time a little, I sped things forward a week, for the development of my story.**

**I own nothing, except Serena. But I love comments!**

/

Carrying a Burden – Season 2

Serena Cummings was a hot mess. She was cramped into Dale's small RV with a whack load of other campers. Her anti-social boyfriend, Daryl, was on his motor bike riding ahead of them, much to her dismay, and she didn't really have the option to join him. She was squished into a seat at the table, beside Andrea, across from Shane. She was turned sideways, as her stomach had somehow in the last week gone from cute, basketball belly to uncomfortable, bloated, beach ball. It was 700 degrees in the camper, even with the windows open. Her dirty hair was pulled up into a loose bun and her head was leaning back against the window, letting the breeze come in and hit her face. Sweat dripped down her back and she closed her eyes, trying to ignore Andrea and Shane's flirting going on beside her. Her baby, Amy, kicked from inside her, and Serena put her hand down around her stomach, trying to calm the movements, to no avail. Her little girl had learned to kicked, and now it seemed to be her favorite thing.

They had stayed outside the city for about a week after the CDC explosion, gathering food, gas, and supplies. It had been decided that it would be better to leave some of the vehicles, resulting in the campers being split up in the Grime's van and the RV, as well as Daryl on his bike, which he refused to leave behind. The van now held Rick, Lori, and Carl, as well as Sophia and Carol, leaving everyone else in the RV. Now they were driving 125 miles to Fort Benning, a good 2 ½ hour drive by old day standards, now there was road blocks and danger at every bend. It would be a road trip and a half.

They had been on the road only fifteen minutes when Dale started to slow down the camper. Serena opened her eyes, looking out the window. On the other side of the highway was a sea of cars, parked and abandoned, but no sign of movement. She couldn't see the road up ahead from where she was, but she could only assume it was the same sort of scene up ahead too.

Shane got up from his seat, going to the front of the RV, when Dale and Glenn sat. Serena leaned into Andrea, getting a peek out the front window. In front of them was a toppled over tractor trailer, blocking most of the road. Her heart jumped for a moment when she couldn't see Daryl, but she could hear the rumble of his bike, getting closer, and she calmed down. She hated that bike. He rode it without a helmet, at relatively high speeds, never mind the fact that there could be walkers at any moment, and that thing was bloody loud.

He appeared now from behind the tuck, moving slowing towards them. He came up on the driver's side of the RV, looking up at them. Dale pointed ahead, "What do you think, can we squeeze through?"

Daryl nodded at him, turning around. He looked up at the window where Serena was now looking out of, winking at her. He was probably gloating, as if to say, 'Look, I'm still fine.' but she didn't care, she still hated that bike.

He pulled out ahead of the camper again, this time leading them through the cars, that Serena could see now was filled with carcasses. Some cars had been pushed aside, seeming as thought people had navigated through the graveyard before them. They crept along at a slow pace, full aware that any one of these dead bodies could easily wake up and try and maul them.

Shane was watching intently out the window, "I don't know if we'll make it through here." He said.

Just as the words escaped his mouth the RV made a chugging noise, coming from the engine. The vehicle came to a quick stop as smoke started to escape out the front of the camper. Dale shook his head, disappointed, and threw his hands in the air. He jumped up, exiting out the back door. Serena rushed to get up, excited for the opportunity at fresh air.

Andrea gave her a hand. She smiled down at Serena's belly, pulling the tank top Serena was wearing down for her in the front. She smiled and looked up at her friend, "Ok, you're good."

"Thanks." She smiled. Since the CDC Andrea had completely come around to the idea of Daryl and Serena. She still didn't really bother to talk to him, or anything, but he made her friend happy, so she was cool with him. She was also in love with Amy. She couldn't wait for the little girl to arrive.

The two girls exited the RV. Dale was at the front of the camper, looking at the damage. It was the radiator hose, again. He shook his head, "Where am I gunna find …" He trailed of, looking around at the collection of vehicles around them. He rolled his eyes, "Guess that was a silly question."

Daryl had parked his bike, joining them now. He wrapped an arm around Serena, "We can find all kinds of stuff here." He told them.

T-Dog nodded, "We can siphon some more fuel from these cars too."

Carol was standing near the RV, "We could probably find some food."

Lori looked at Daryl, "This is a grave yard."

Daryl just looked at her. Was she seriously gunna pass up this opportunity based on her old world morals? He sure wasn't.

She shook her head, "I don't know how I feel about this."

Daryl rolled his eyes. He really didn't care how anyone felt except Serena. He looked over at her, "You wanna wait in the RV? I'm gunna look around, see what we can find."

She shook her head. As large and awkward as she was, she was still mobile, and felt rather useless sitting around. "I'm gunna look too." She told him, taking his hand.

Andrea was standing by Dale, holding the binoculars to her face, "I think there is a cube van or something up there, Dale. It might have a radiator hose to fit this girl." She put the goggles down and looked over at Shane, "Let's go check it out." Shane nodded.

Dale watched as they went across the grass divider to the other side of the highway, towards a commercial van of some kind. He left the radiator alone, climbing ontop of his RV, deciding that with everyone wandering all over this unknown place, someone has to keep a watchful eye.

Glenn was helping T-Dog to collect gas, each of them taking a few empty canisters and hoses. Rick was standing beside the RV still, watching behind them. Lori, Carol and the kids walked along ahead, searching for supplies.

Daryl and Serena walked along the spaces between the cars. She tried her best to ignore the smell. Daryl opened doors and trunks, looking through all the bags he could find. She took what he gave her, putting it all in a backpack he had found a few cars back.

He was rustling through bags in the trunk of a station wagon when her froze suddenly, looking down into a black suitcase. He finally reached down and pulled out a little pink baby onesie. He held it up for Serena to see. It had the full legs with the built in feet and long sleeves. On the front there was a red strawberry, with the words 'berry cute' inside of it. He was smiling so big she couldn't help it, she laughed, taking the onsie from his hand. It would be a few months still, but eventually they would need stuff like this.

He pulled out the bag he had pulled the onsie from, zipping it back up, "It's all baby clothes." He said, handing it to her. He turned back to the car, going through the next bag.

Serena heard laughing from across the highway and looked over. Shane and Andrea were standing at a cube van. Shane had opened one of the sides, revealing gallons of water for water coolers. Shane had opened one and was soaking himself in it while Andrea had turned back to the hood of the truck, looking for a radiator hose. Serena smiled. Water, thank god.

She walked ahead more with Daryl, leaving Lori and Carol behind them. T-Dog and Glenn were up a head of them, finishing filling one of their gas cans. It seemed it had been worth the stop, even just for the extra gas.

/

**So how does everyone like the jump back into things. I have plans for this season, oh yes, so continue to read.**

**Comment!**


	2. Chapter 2

**As I've said before, I totally ship Andrea and Shane together, and so in this season I think we will see a little more of that in my story. But don't worry, there will still be lots of Daryl and Serena, and all the others we love. **

**Anyways, I own nothing, unfortunately. But I still love comments.**

/

As Serena followed her boyfriend down the highway on foot, collecting supplies from the car parked around them, she thought she could hear a whistle coming from behind her. Daryl turned, having heard the whistle too. They both saw Rick, standing a good distance away from them, waving his hands, motioning for them to get under the cars.

Daryl froze, looking down at Serena's stomach. There was no was she was gunna fit under a fucking car. He narrowed his eyes, looking in the distance behind Rick. From behind the RV emerged a walker, stumbling towards them, though he hadn't noticed them yet. Then another appeared, and another, appearing on both sides. Daryl's stomach turned, it was an entire herd.

He grabbed her hand, pulling her behind a truck and ducking down. He whistled up to Glenn and T-Dog who were collecting gas. They looked at him first, then saw the walkers behind the truck, on their way towards them. Daryl motioned for them to get under the vehicles.

Serena looked over at him worried. She knew as well as he did she would never get underneath a car. She held tightly to his hand. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to think. He thought about the story Glenn had told him, about how they had escaped Atlanta when they first met Rick. How he had been able to walk right though a hoard of walkers, all he had to do was cover up the smell.

He opened his eyes. He could hear the moaning of the walkers from behind them. They were getting close. He let go of her hand, opening the door to the nearest car and pulling out the body on the front seat. He turned to Serena, "Lay down." He told her. She did as she was instructed without question. She trusted him.

She threw herself down on the ground, lying sideways. Daryl then draped the rotting corps over her, the dead person's head coming to rest only inches from her own. She held back vomit and tried to breathe through her mouth. He grabbed another body from the same car, lying down beside her on the asphalt. He pulled the dead body over top of him and looked over at her. She was staring at him longingly. She was praying to god his plan worked, but was scared to death it wouldn't. "I love you." She whispered to him as she could hear the moans of the walking dead getting closer.

He smiled at her and shook his head as he reached out, grabbing her hand, "Tell me after." He whispered back, holding on tightly to her.

A walker came around the truck they had been cowering behind moments ago. He breathed the air deeply, shuffling along towards them. Soon, more of them came into view, slowly weaving between cars, aimlessly headed alone the road. As the first few zombies past by them Serena held her breath, fearing every second of it. They seemed distraught, like they could catch wiffs of her. All in all, they passed by the couple without incident. She could also see them walk right past the cars that Glenn and T-Dog had disappeared under. She took a breath, watching as a few stragglers shuffled past her. She couldn't believe it, his plan had worked. Daryl had saved her, again.

They waited a moment, silently, before pulling the bodies off of them. Serena crawled over to Daryl who was sitting up looking at her. When she reached him he wrapped his arms around her. It didn't seem real, how close they had just come to losing one another. He held her for a moment, before releasing her from him grip. She moved back from him and he grabbed her shoulders, "Ok." He said, nodding, "Tell me now."

She smiled, "I love you." She told him again.

He smiled back at her and sighed, "I love you too." He said, before taking her lips in his own. He had never said those words to anyone. He didn't think he had ever felt that way before. But what he felt for her was special. He had been ready to rip apart any zombie that dared to attack her. When he looked at her he got a tingling sensation in his stomach, and when he was away from her, she was all he could think about. All that had to mean he loved her.

Their connection was soon broken by Carol's scream, coming from the direction of the RV. They split apart from one another, Daryl standing up before reaching down to give her a hand as well. They hurried back towards where they had heard Carol's call. When they reached her she was standing by the guardrail of road, looking down the incline into the woods. She was grasping her mouth in disbelief while Lori held her. Carl was standing behind them, with Shane and Andrea, who had reached the women first.

"The walkers, they're after my baby." Carol cried.

Serena looked at Lori. Lori looked just a frightened at Carol, but tried to explain, "A walker went after Sophia, cased her into the woods. Rick went in after them."

Serena looked down at the brush below. It was thick, but she trusted Rick would be able to help Sophia. They would be ok. She had to trust.

/

Daryl paced back and forth, watching the tree line for any sign of Rick or Sophia. He had wanted to go charging in there after them, insisting he could track them down, but Serena and Shane had talked him out of it, telling him to wait a little while. Serena was leaning against a car, with her arm around Carol, who was sobbing quietly. Carol, of course, blamed herself, and could not seem to get it together.

Lori was just as worried of course, but she was trying her best to comfort Carol, who had become a good friend. She looked over at Daryl, who was still pacing, "Don't you ever sit still?" She commented.

He looked at her and shrugged, "In a world like this, who has time to sit still?" He asked her.

Serena smirked to herself. She was sure Daryl probably had a case of ADD, but it was his quick thinking and reacting that had saved their asses on more than one occasion.

Rick finally emerged from the bushes alone. He was wet and muddy, and looked out of breath. When Carol saw that he was alone she burst back out in loud sobs. Rick looked up at them, confused, "Sophia didn't make it back here?" He asked.

Daryl jumped over the guardrail, walking down towards Rick, "She didn't come back here. If you show me where you last saw her though, I might be able to find her."

Shane was standing at the top of the hill still, looking down at them with his arms crossed, "What happened, Rick?"

Rick explained, "I found her, left her by a spring under a tree, then lured the Walker away. I killed the son of a bitch and when I went back for Sophia she was gone. I thought she'd come back here. I told her how to get back." He looked back into the woods, "We have to go look."

Shane sighed and looked over at Glenn, "Common Glenn, let's go with them for back up."

Glenn nodded and climbed over the guardrail, heading down to where Daryl and Rick were standing. "How are we gunna even know where she went?" Glenn asked Rick.

"Sophia is no different from an animal." Daryl answered before Rick could say anything, "If I can find her trail, I can follow it."

Glenn looked at Daryl and nodded, having been on excursions with him before. Glenn still wasn't sure what he thought of Daryl. He had realized that Daryl was a completely different person from Merle, but who that person is was still a mystery to all of them, except for Serena it seemed.

Serena stood up from leaning against the car, walking up to the edge of the highway and looking down at her boyfriend and 3 other companions. She leaned down, putting her hands out on the guard rail, and gave Daryl a look, "Be careful." She knew there was no way in convincing him to stay at the highway with her, and she also knew there was no chance in her going with them.

He smiled, "I got this." He told her. She felt a little better that he had his trusty crossbow over his shoulder, but she would still worry. Before they turned into the woods, she blew him a kiss. To her surprise he reached his hand out, pretending to catch her invisible kiss. He then put it in the left pocket of his plaid shirt, patting his chest, still looking up at her.

She burst out laughing. God, how cheesy were they? She thought about it for a moment, realizing that she really didn't care.

/

**Oh god, cheese! Well after taking almost 20 chapters for Daryl and Serena to really fall for one another in my last story, you had to know it was about time I bring on the cheese. Also, for those of you that don't mind an R rating, I'm still considering a one shot of pure fluff from these two. Let me know your thoughts on this and my story in general.**

**Comment!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I already love all the reviews for my sequel. I was thinking it would be tuff to continue the story line with Serena added in, but after sitting down and watching the first few episodes of Season 2 I can definitely see Serena added into the mix. Like my last story, this is not going to be all fluff all the time, there is going to be depth to the characters we love. And so, of course, my two love birds will need to spend some time apart, because when they're together all they produce is fluff.**

**I own nothing. Comment!**

/

Serena had managed to haul herself up top the RV, and was sitting in Dale's folding chair with the binoculars around her neck. She was on lookout. Shane and Glenn had come back from their search almost 20 minutes ago, telling them that Daryl had caught Sophia's trail, and was following it with Rick.

Shane had put most of them to work, in an effort to keep them occupied. Most of them were back to scavenging. T-Dog had filled almost 4 canteens of gas, impressively, and Dale was hard at work installing the new radiator hose that Andrea had found. Andrea and Shane were working with the Grime's SUV to push cars off of the highway ahead of them. Serena was just as happy to sit on her perch and watch them all. Carol was standing by the guardrail near the woods still, watching deeply into the woods.

Dale started the RV below her and she could hear him laughing out loud to himself. He was pleased with his work, and fairly confident that that hose would last them a while. She smiled as his laughter filler her ears, it was not a sound heard often anymore.

Carl came racing towards the camper holding a long black sack. "Dale!" He screamed with excitement. Dale exited the RV below her. Carl handed him the black bag, "Look what I found!"

Dale unrolled the bag, which presented a collection of useful weapons, from Swiss army knives, to a hatchet. Serena peeked down from above, impressed. "Wow Carl, nice find." She told the boy.

Carl smiled up at her for a moment, before turning back to Dale, "It's somebody's arsenal. Shane told me to give them to you."

Dale nodded, "It most certainly is an arsenal. I'll put it with the bag of guns."

Carl turned, "I'm gunna keep looking." He told them, dashing off in the direction he had come, passing his mother on the way.

Lori approached the RV, "Think those will come in handy?" She asked Dale as she reached them.

Dale wrapped the bag back up, "I would think so." He chuckled and then took the weapons inside the camper.

Lori looked up at Serena and smiled. Serena smiled back and sat back down in the chair. To her surprise Lori climbed up onto the roof of the camper. She sat down on the hot metal beside Serena. She didn't say anything for a moment, just watching the other survivors scour the cars around them. Finally Lori spoke, "I just spoke with Shane."

Serena looked over at her, waiting for her to go on. She didn't want to assume that they talked about a certain affair, or anything important like that.

"He's planning on leaving." Lori said. Serena was speechless. "He's working on a car, trying to get it going. He says he's just gunna slip away."

Serena shook her head, remembering this was Lori who was telling her all this, "Why are you telling me this?"

Lori shrugged, "He likes you." Serena laughed. "Not, 'like' likes you, but he respects you, and your opinion."

Serena frowned, "You want me to talk to him? You want him to stay?"

Lori looked hurt, "Of course I want him to stay. It would hurt all the people I love if he were to leave, besides the fact that, other than Rick, he is our best defense against the Walkers."

Serena let that comment slide. She didn't bother to ask Lori how many walkers Shane or Rick have killed with a cross bow. Or bother to remind her of who it was that was helping her husband find Sophia. It didn't seem like the best time to remind her that Daryl was just as good as Shane or Rick, and in her eyes better. She just nodded at Lori, "We'll I'll talk to him, because obviously I want him to stay too."

Lori stood up, patting Serena on the shoulder, "Great. I just think you'd do better at talking to him right now."

Serena agreed, "Yeah. Definitely."

/

Rick Grimes surveyed the body of the walker Daryl had just taken down. It was alone, walking in the woods when they had come across it. Daryl watched as Rick turned the body, checking its mouth, "It fed recently." He told Daryl, pulling a piece of skin out of its mouth.

Daryl looked the piece of skin over. He couldn't tell what kind of skin it was, possibly human, but there was still a chance not. "What kind of skin is that?" He asked, pointing at it.

Rick looked at him, "Only one way to find out." He said, taking out his pocket knife. He undid the dead walker's shirt, revealing it's bloated stomach.

Daryl couldn't bare it. Rick was a cop, not a hunter. Did he really think he was gunna be able to gut this thing with his measly little pocket knife. He held back laughter, stepping over the walker's body, "Here, I'll do it." He pulled out his large hunting knife that he always kept around his waist, "How many animals you killed and skinned in your life anyways? Mine's sharper." He held up his knife above the walker's body.

He stabbed into the dead body's stomach, slicing it straight down along the naval. He thought Grimes was gunna be sick, kneeling beside him, watching for Sophia parts. Daryl came to the bottom of the stomach, pulling the knife out and starting again from the top of the stomach. The smell of rot wafted from the innards of the decaying body. Daryl tried his best to ignore it and breath through his mouth, but it only helped so much. He looked over at Rick, wondering if he was going to be sick or start crying. It made him wonder how much action the sheriff's deputy had really seen. But he didn't have a look of disgust as far as Daryl was concerned, which if it had been anyone else, there would defiantly had been some judging going on.

Daryl opened up the stomach, putting down his knife in order to have his hands free. He pulled out some of the guck surrounding the stomach. "This guy had a big meal recently." He told Rick, feeling the stomach, "I can feel it in there." Rick nodded, as Daryl tugged at the stomach lining, pulling it out and placing it on the grass as Rick's feet.

Rick nodded, "I got this." He just wanted to get his knife dirty, Daryl thought. Rick cut into the stomach, slicing it open. He pulled out grudge, disgusting guck that was unrecognizable. Daryl reached in, digging for a bone or skull.

He finally pulled out the skull of a creature he knew pretty well, "Looks like this guy had a woodchuck for lunch." Daryl said, holding the skull up for Rick to see.

The two men looked at each other, knowing that they would never speak of what they had just done here. Rick looked upset, but Daryl was relieved. "At least we know." Rick said.

Daryl stood to his feet, "Yep." He picked up his bow. He would pretend he hadn't just ripped into that person like it was nothing, and Rick seemed ok with that too. Rick was alright, Daryl decided, and Rick was starting to think the same thing of him.

/

Serena was standing with Carol, letting Lori take her place on look-out. She was rubbing Carol's shoulders supportively. "They will find her." She assured her.

Carol looked over at her, "It will be dark soon. No one will find her in the dark."

Serena smiled, "Be positive Carol. Rick and Daryl are going to find her."

Carol just turned her head back in the direction of the woods. The sun was starting to go down behind it. Serena had just told Carol to stay positive, but honestly, she had her doubts as well.

Serena turned to see Andrea standing beside Dale with her arms crossed. Shane joined them, sensing the tension between them, "Everything cool?" He asked.

Andrea shook her head, "No. I want my gun back."

Serena joined them, standing beside Andrea. Dale turned to Shane, "I don't think it's a good idea right now." He told them honestly.

Serena frowned. That wasn't Dale's decision to make for Andrea. Shane looked at Dale, confused, "Why not?"

Dale shrugged, "I'm not comfortable with it."

Andrea laughed, unable to believe that this was even up for discussion.

Shane nodded, as if he understood where Dale was coming from, "Truth is," He looked at Andrea, "the less guns we have floating around camp the better."

Andrea couldn't believe it, and neither could Serena. These two men were gunna decide who had the right to carry a weapon? "Are you turning over your weapon?" Andrea asked Shane.

Shane laughed at the ridiculous idea, "No. But I'm trained in its use." He looked at her, "That's what the rest of you all need, is proper training, but until then I think its best that Dale keeps them all accounted for." He looked behind Andrea at Serena, who had her one hand on the gun she kept in its holder around her waist firmly, "I've already worked with you, so you're ok too." He told her.

Serena dropped her arm from the weapon. Good decision Shane, because there was no way she was giving up her weapon, and she knew Daryl wouldn't be so keen on the idea either. It occurred to her that Daryl might be the reason that Shane didn't take the gun away from her. It had been a while since Shane and Daryl had gotten into it about something, and Shane seemed content on keeping it that way.

/

**The one thing that pisses me off about Carol is that she stands back and lets other people do the searching for her daughter. I like her character, but I feel this is a major flaw in her, for having seemed to care about Sophia so much. I hope to god the writers don't pair her up with Daryl in the show, I don't know how I'll take it, lol.**

**Anyways, thoughts on my latest chapter? I thought the scene where Daryl cut the zombie's stomach open was horrid, and I just had to include it. I hope you all loved it.**

**Comment.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! My computer is not fixed, and I am still on a bit of a hiatus, but I was able to borrow a friend's computer to jot this chapter down for you all. I'm sorry if there if some errors, but all she had is WordPad, lol. Not much going on, story wise, but I did want to get it down and out there for you all. I miss writing, and all your comments! **

**Hope you enjoy, not sure when the next chapter will be up :( Sorry.**

**I own nothing, but comment anyways!**

/

Carol burst into tears as Rick and Daryl emerged from the woods. She shook her head at them, balling, "You didn't find her." The others joined her at the side of the freeway.

Serena caught Daryl's eye, with a look of worry on his face. She hadn't seen him look so concerned before, not even when his brother was left for dead. She looked him over, his clothes dirtied from blood, water, and mud.

Rick shook his head as Carol, "I'm sorry. We'll pick it up again at first light."

Carol shook uncontrolably, "You can't leave her out there alone. She's twelve."

Lori put her arm around Carol for support as her words broke down and she cried.

Daryl shuffled his feet where he stood. He knew nothing of comfort, but he felt the need to give some to Carol now, "There is no use in looking in the dark. We'll just trip over ourselves, more people will get lost." Carol looked up at him now. Daryl smirked at Carol, "We did follow her trail for a while though."

Carol's eyes dropped to Daryl's shirt, "Is that blood?"

Daryl and Rick both looked at each other. They had to be delicate about this, "We came across a walker in the woods." Daryl told Carol truthfully. There was no use in lying to the ppor woman, she was going thorugh enough.

Carol let out a sob at the thought of her daughter alone in the woods where there were walkers too. Rick looked at her, "We have no reason to believe that it was ever near Sophia."

Andrea looked at them, "How can you be sure."

Both men were silent for a moment. Daryl tried to think of a reasonable explanation, and then remember who it was he was talking to. How would him telling them all the truth really change how they looked at him anyways? They already thought he was a crazy redneck, might as well top it off with his latest story, "I cut the son-of-a-bitch open. Made sure."

A look of disgust crossed Carol face, but she nodded at him, as if she was greatful. Serena's stomach turned as she looked at her boyfriend. She couldn't imagine having to do something so grusome. She just felt bad for him, but she knew if it had to be anyone he was the one who could handle it.

Carol leaned against the guardrail, breathing heavily. Lori sat beside her, rubbing her back. Carol shook her head and looked up at Rick, "How could you just leave her there, to begin with?"

Serena rolled her eyes. She had had enough of Carol's blame and had no intention of standing around listening to her point fingers. Serena looked at Daryl, who was also zoned out of the conversation and was watching her. She reached her arm out to him.

He stepped up over the guardrail, towards her, taking her hand in his. She touched his wet, bloody shirt, "Lets find you something dry and clean."

As the two of them walked away from Carol, who was doing her best to make Rick feel like shit, Daryl's grip on Serena's hand tightened, "I couldn't imagine what Carol, or Sophia for that matter, is going through."

Serena stopped at a car, opening the trunk, which appeared to have several suit cases inside. She started fishing through one of the bags, looking for a shirt suitable for Daryl. "Do you really think Sophia is alright?" She had her doubts, but if Daryl believe she was alright, so would she.

Daryl nodded, without question or pause, "Sure, shes a smart kid."Serena held a black tank top up to his chest. She smirked, realizing it would probably be a bit tight. "There are lots of places for a kid to hide in the woods." Daryl continued.

She looked at him for a moment. He seemed to be speaking from experience. He never talked about his past, or childhood, and she never asked. She had only known Merle for a short time, but she knew that a man doesn't come to be like that without some parental influence, and Daryl had grown up in the same house.

She passed him the tank, "Here, take that, it will make a good nightshirt." She smiled to herself, antisipating herself currled up in bed with him in his too-tight tank top and boxer shorts.

In another bag she found an old vintage ACDC shirt that she knew would fit him, "Here, babe, put this one on."

Daryl took the shirt from her and held it up so he could see. He rolled his eyes and looked back at her, "We've been over this, I'm not a Rock and Roll guy."

She smiled, "But it will make you look hot." She winked at him.

He laughed, pulling his ruined shirt over his head and tossing it on the ground. He then pulled his new shirt on instead. He looked down at the band's name, written across his chest. He was thankful his brother wasn't here to see this.

Serena laughed, wrapping her arm around his center, pulling him into a hug. "See, you look hot."

He smiled and ran his dirty hand through his rough hair, "Yeah?" He wrapped his arms around her, feeling the bump of her belly between them.

It was hard for him to get his arm around her now, and every time they embraced, she seemed to get father away from him. But he loved that little belly, and really couldn't imagine her without it. He knew that day was comming, and faster then either of them wanted to admit, but for now, he enjoyed the simplicity of the situation as it was.

/

Daryl tossed in the RV bed he shared with Serena. He found the idea of turning a table into a bed idiotic. The thing was still as hard as a table, and he knew he could make a more comfortable bed out of stacks of leaves. He couldn't imagine how Serena managed to sleep?

Just as the tought escaped him she moaned and turned over onto her back. Her belly was fully exposed to the cool night breeze that was floating in the window beside them. She was just wearing a sports bra and a pair of his boxers. The heat in the RV was unbarable and he wanted more than anything to escape.

He pulled at his tank top, which was unbarably tight. This woman would not be allowed to choose his clothes again. He finally got tired to fighting with it and pulled it up over his head, tossing it on the floor beside where he lay.

Serena groaned again, this time opening her eyes. She reached up, wrapping her hands around her stomach, "Ow, Amy." She whispered.

Daryl reached over, putting one of his giant hands on her stomach too. She jumped for a moment, just realizing he was awake beside her. She sighed as he stroaked her stomach in a circular motion. She wasn't sure what it was about this rubbing, or him in particular, but he always seemed to calm Amy's kicking.

She turned her head, leaning her forehead over to knuzzle his shoulder. She was sweating, alot, but she didn't mind snuggling with him. Around them she could hear the noises of the others asleep.

Daryl sat up slightly, turning on his side to face her, putting his free hand under his head, holding it up, "Can't sleep?" His hand continued to draw a circular pattern on her belly.

She shook her head, "No, I was sleeping fine." She chuckled to herself, "It was Amy."

He nodded, smiling at the thought of his active daughter playing around in there. Serena lay there silently, letting the calming sensation of his hand sooth her as she closed her eyes.

He watched her laying there, eyes closed, as the light from the moon shined in throught the window, lighting her face with a beautiful blue light. Or perhaps it was just her that was beautiful and it had nothing to do with the moonlight. He smiled to himslef as he slid his hand up her stomach, leaving her bump and moving towards her breast.

Serena's eyes shot open with surprise as his hand reached her boob, playing with it delicatly throught the sports bra she was wearing. "Daryl." She said, swating at his hand.

He laughed, "What?" His hand left her breast, reaching up and stroacking her face, "You're amazing." He leaned down, kissing her.

He was intoxication, Serena thought, wrapping her hand up around the back of his head, holding him there. She parted her lips, prying her way into his mouth with her tounge. She breathed deeply, taking in his smell. Her hand played with the strand of his hair as their tounges danced. She was dizzy from passion as she tried her best to press into him.

It was hard for her to feel sexy at all, and she barly ever had this drive anymore, but she took advanage of the moment, moving her free hand towards his bare chest. She rubbed her hand along his abs happily, stopping as her hand reached the belt of his sleep pants.

She broke away from their kiss, looking into his eyes. God, she wanted him. Now. The idea was exhilerating, and also rediculous. They were in a tiny RV, surrounded by tons of other people, and she was pregnant. There was no way this could happen.

He was breathing hard, watching her, waiting for her to make her move. God, he wanted her too. She shook her head, "We can't." She finally said, letting go of his pants.

His heart sank. He'd already known that it wasn't going to happen. But he liked to think he had a chance. He leaned in, kissing her hard again, trying to keep the fire alive. From in the bedroom down the hall came a loude cough, making both he and Serena jump. The idea that someone was awake in the next room crushed all chances that Daryl had had.

Serena pushed him away from her, shaking her head while smiling. They both knew that it was best if they wait it out anyways. It would be so much more enjoyable when they arn't surround by other people, and Amy was born. But god, it had felt good, to be bad, just for a moment.

/

**Aweee! Ok, so there you have it, a little fluff, from the couple that I was missing. Hope you enjoyed it. I'll try another chapter soon, and I hope my computer is back up and running shortly after the new year, but stick with me people, I have not abandonded you people!**

**Comment!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Oh my goodness, another chapter in the same day! I know, its too much, but I told you guys, once I had a chance there would be updates galore! Well I'm not sure how long I'll have access to a friends computer, but for as long as I have it I'll continue to keep you all happy.**

**Comment all!**

/

"Shane!" Serena called. Shane was working on a car a little ways up the road from where the RV was parked. He was leaning over the open hood when she spotted him. He looked up at her when she called him.

It was early morning, and most of the campers were just starting to rise. Shane had been up for hours, collecting gas and supplies, and piling it into the car. Heat had flushed Serena out of the RV only moments ago.

He stopped fiddling with the vehicle once she reached him, "What's up?"

She looked at the car, "What do you think your doing?" She asked him.

He shrugged, "I've decided I wanted my own car."

"Lori talked to me Shane." Serena said, crossing her arms. He stood up straight, taking the conversation seriously. Serena reached out, putting her hand on his shoulder, "Shane, you can't leave. Not 'cus of her."

He looked at her with honesty in his eyes, "I don't want to see them every day. It will tear me apart."

Serena shook her head, "Don't let her control you like that. You have more than her. More people will suffer if you leave." She pleaded to him, realizing how serious Shane was.

Shane stiffened up, "I ruined everything I had when we did ... what we did." He said.

Serena couldn't take it. Shane was just desperate for someone to love him. He needed someone. "Shane, things will get better, just stick it out and see."

Shane looked at her, "Look, I'm not trying to hurt anyone, I'm only trying to help. I'll stick around until we find Sophia, or ..." He trailed off, thinking of the other possibility for Sophia.

Serena nodded, "Consider sitcking around a little longer. It won't be the same without you." She hugged him.

He held their embrace for a minute, "Keep your gun on ya, stay sharp, no matter what." He told her in her ear. She hated that, he was saying a good bye.

"You stay safe, no matter what." She told him in return. They then stood back from one another.

"I'll be fine." Shane shrugged and smiled. He tried to shrug it off, but his eyes were red, and she could tell that something she had said had reached him.

/

Daryl was leading a group up the creek to look for Sophia. Like usual, Serena was designated to stay behind as look-out. Dale was staying with her, just as a courtesy. Even Carl was given a small weapon and was allowed to go into the woods with the search party.

Daryl packed his bow, throwing it over his back. He looked over at her, with a somber, worried look on her face, "Hey," he smiled, "it's going to be fine, we are just going for a walk up the river and back."

She nodded, "I know, you'll be fine." She would still worry, though she had every confidence he was a survivor.

He grabbed her belt, looking down at her gun, "Got that? Good."

She smiled, "Always."

He kissed her before turning towards the edge of the highway, "Ok people." He called.

As the group disappeared into the woods Serena sighed. She wanted so badly to be in on the action, but knew she wouldn't be able to keep up at this stage. She looked at Dale, who smiled, "Well, Serena, have you ever played Kings in the Corner?" He held up a deck of card, waving them infront of her face.

/

Daryl stood in the doorway of the abandonded Chruch. Carol was sitting in one of the pews praying. He watched her as she spoke out loude to 'God'. He listened to her beg for him to bring her daughter back. He didn't know if he believed in a God, but ihe hoped for Carol's sake that there was someone out there listening.

He slowly walked up the isle, stopping at the end of her's as she finished her prayer. He waited for a moment, out of respect, before he spoke to her from the isle. "You tell him all you worries and hope he helps you?" He asked her.

She looked over at him, and shurgged, "I hope he helps. But if not, it's still nice to have someone to listen."

Daryl nodded, looking back at the statue of Jesus standing at the end of the isle, at the front of the church. He wasn't about to speak out loude to a statue or anything, but he could take a minute to share his worries with someone else.

As he stood there his mind went to Serena, and or course to Amy, which was the major worry in his life. He tried to remain positive when it came to the baby, but the unknown was what worried him. He could prepare for things he knew, but at this point he was completely in forign territory. He hoped that whoever was listening would help him when the time came, and hopefully would make Amy an easy going, quiet baby. He could only hope.

He looked up at the statue, looking Jesus in the eyes, and nodded, the closest he was getting to Amen. He looked over at Carol, realizing she was watching him. She smiled at him when there eyes met and she nodded, recognising what he had just done. She then stood up, leaving the chruch.

He looked back up at the statue, "And don't forget Sophia." He said to Jesus out loude, now that he was alone.

/

Daryl had been put in charge of taking the majority of the campers back to the highway. Shane, Rick, and Carl had stayed back at the church to look around some more. While the others chatted between themselves he scanned the woods for any sign of Sophia. Suddenly a faint gun shot was heard from behind them. He stopped for a moment, as did the others. If more shots rang out, he would run back to find out what happened, but no more ever came.

He continure the group on their way, but Lori didn't go far before she stopped, looking behind them. Andrea looked at her, "You still worried about it?"

Lori looked at them, "It was a gun shot." She said.

Daryl shrugged, "We all heard it."

"Why just one?" She asked.

Like he knew? He shrugged again, "Maybe they took down a walker."

Lori shook her head, "They wouldn't risk a bullet to take down one walker, you know that. They'd do it quietly."

Daryl looked at Lori for a moment. He didn't like this woman, "There is nothing we can do." He told her, simply. "We would run all around this woods chasing echos. I don't think so."

Lori crossed her arms, "So what do we do then?"

Daryl nodded, "Same thing we've been doing, beat the bush for Sophia and make our way back to the highway."

Andrea looked at Daryl, then nodded and turned to Lori, "I'm sure we'll hook up with them back that RV."

Lori nodded, following the group again, along the river.

/

Serena was sitting in a lawn chair beside the RV, watching the woods. The group had been gone for what seemed like hours, and she was bored. Dale had given up on Kings in the Corner with her a while ago, as she had lost interest. He was up collecting spare parts now from the cars around them.

Serena felt bloated to the point where she couldn't get comfortable. She turned from one side to the other in her chair. Amy was turning around inside her. She rubbed on her belly in circles, the way Daryl always did, but it didn't work. She just leaned back and groaned, counting the months. She figured she was around 7 months. Only 2 more to go, thank god. She was so uncomfortable, and the heat didn't help her much.

Dale walked over to her now, sitting down in the empty chair beside her. He placed some parts he was holding down beside him. He looked at her, "How you doing, kiddo?" He asked.

She shrugged, "I'm a little uncomfortable, but what can you do?"

He laughed, "Well, I'm sure it will all be worth it."

She looked down at her stomach, "I hope so."

Dale nodded, "Kiddo, I don't know much, but I know between you and that guy you've got there, this kids gunna be just fine."

Serena looked at Dale for a moment, "Wow Dale, thank you." She didn't think Dale was Daryl biggest fan, infact she could remember a time when he warned her against him, but something had made him change his tune.

"I don't know Daryl, but I see the way he cares about you, and that baby. That's real, and I never really believed I'd see the day." Dale added.

She thought about everything Daryl had done for her, and her unborn child in the short time she had known him. They had been strangers, and he had felt some need to protect her and her child. She knew what Dale was saying was true, she had seen it in his eyes, before they were even together, and she was glade to hear someone else saw it too.

/

Daryl spun on his heels as Andrea's screams reached his ears. She wasn't in sight, but he could tell she was in trouble. She had been behind him, but he'd been rushing to get back to the road, which was only 100 yards or so. He rushed in the direction of her screams, with the others behind him.

He could see her now, laying on the ground with a tall, black walker standing above her. She was kicking him to keep him off of her. Daryl ran towards them, not being close enough to take a shot. If he let Serena's best friend die he would never forgive himself.

Suddenly, from out of no where a woman swept in on on a horse, smacking the walker in the head with a bat, killing it as she came to a hult infront of them. "Lori Grimes!" The girl called. She looked down at Andrea with question.

Lori waved her arms, "I'm Lori Grimes."

Daryl stood, worried. Who was this woman, and how did she know Lori's name?

"You have to come with me." The stranger told Lori, "Rick sent me."

Lori frowned, "What? Why?"

"There's been an accident." The girl said, "Carl's been shot."

Lori's mouth dropped, and she ran towards the horse, taking her bag off and throwing it at Daryl.

"Wait! You're going to go with this stranger?" Daryl questioned. If this was a trick or a test then Rick would not be happy. He had left Daryl in charge.

The girl turned to him, "You have others? Out by the highway?" She then told him how to get to the farm she and her companion's lived on, "The sign on the mailbox is Green." She told him.

She and Lori mounted the horse, leaving the group as quickly as the strange girl had appeared. He groaned, having no choice now but to go along with whatever was happening.

/

**Ok, there we are lovelies. Now I'm off to bed for the evening. Enjoy and comment!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys. Another chapter for everyone. I did want to apologize for the last two chapters, as well as this one. I am writing them in WordPad, which doesn't have any spelling and grammar checker, which sucks, cuz I need it. So yeah, that would explain the extra mistakes. Sorry. **

**Also, I wanted to clear it up, I do know that pregnant women can fave sex, I just didn't see it as something Serena would want to do at the time. She isn't exactly comfortable at this point, plus she was jammed into a hot RV with tons of other people. I just thought it was best to wait. It will be way more romantic and HOT when it does happen.**

**I own nothing. Comment though!**

/

Daryl appeared in a rush from out of the woods, with some of the others following behind him. Serena stood to welcome them back, realizing that there were some of them missing.

Daryl looked worried as he reached her. She gulped, "Whats wrong?"

Daryl shook his head, "This girl just came out of no where on a horse, she told us that there was an accident and Carl was shot, she then took Lori and rode off."

He spoke so quickly it took Serena a moment to process what he had said. Dale, who was standing beside her, was quick to respond, "Was Carl not with Lori?"

Daryl shook his head, "Rick, Shane and Carl were in one group, we were all in another. We heard a gun shot on the way back, but I didn't think anything of it."

Dale nodded, processing. Andrea jumped in, "She gave us directions to her farm, just a ways back down the road."

Serena looked at Carol, who was crying to herself behind them. She assumed they hadn't found Sophia, unfortunately.

"Well, I suppose we should head over there, see what mess we're in now." Dale said.

"We can't just leave!" Carol cried. The group stopped to look at her, "My baby is still out there."

Serena thought about it. If Sophia did find her way back to the highway and they were all gone, that would be horrable.

"I'll stay until tomarrow, it will give me time to rig up a sign incase she comes back here." He pointed at the RV, "I'll stay with the RV." 

Dale shook his head, "If the RV stays, I stay." He said.

Daryl nodded, agreeing to a campanion. Andrea looked at Daryl with that cocky look she got some times, "I'll stay, I can help look for her."

She was waiting for Daryl to question her, like Shane or Rick would, but Daryl only nodded in agreement. Carol folder her arms, "I'm stayin' too, she's my daughter, I want to be here when she comes back."

Serena looked up at Daryl, "Well if your staying, I will too."

He shook his head, "No, go with T-Dog and Glenn in the SUV. It sounds like this farm is safe."

She frowned, "What's one more night, its been fine so far?"

Daryl shrugged, "You never know. And I'd rather not, ok?"

She shrugged and nodded. She understood where he was coming from, but the restrictions she was being given was getting a little much for her.

Daryl grabbed his bag off of his bike that was parked near them. He started digging through it, "I'm not sure what exactly happened to Carl, but here." He pulled out a large zip lock bag of pills of all shapes and sizes. Serena's eyes widened and she looked up at him. He shrugged, "They are Merle's. He's got everything in there."

Serena looked at a few of the names, some pain killers, extacy, oxies. They were all there. She wasn't surprised that Merle had been into these things, but she was surprised at the impressive stash he had.

Glenn put his arm around her neck, "Common, Momma." He had taken to calling her this in the past few weeks, and she still wasn't sure if she was comfortable with it or not. She smiled at him. T-Dog was already in the driver's seat of the SUV, when the other 2 arrived at the vehicle.

Serena looked back at Daryl, "Ok, so I'll see you tomarrow?" She gave him a sad face.

He smiled and nodded, "Yeah."

"Early?" She asked, jokingly. She realized already that Daryl has taken this Sophia search upon himself. She knew that he was most comfortable out there in the woods, doing what he did best, and she knew that his heart was with her, but he would be out there until late again tomarrow.

Daryl just winked, "Love you." He called from the RV as she opened the door the to SUV.

She waved, "You too." She then plopped herself down in the back seat of the large vehicle with T-Dog and Glenn, headed to the 'Green's' Farm to see what mess they had gotten themselves into.

/

The large, white farm house at the end of the drive way stood alone as the only house in sight. Down the way a bit Serena could see a small barm too, but the house was the only sign of human life. On the front porch sat a woman in an old rocking chair. It was all very quaint in Serena's eyes, as if the horrors of the outside world hadn't touched this simple place at all.

"That's the girl that came for Lori." Glenn pointed at T-Dog parked the SUV beside a few other vehicles parked under a large tree near the front of the house.

Serena followed the other men out of the car and across the grass to the steps of the house. The woman stood as they approached, "Did you close the gate on your way in?"

T-Dog nodded at her, "Yeah, I made sure it was seccure."

She nodded at them and motioned towards the door, "Your friends are in there. Daddy's working on the boy."

Serena walked up the steps, "Will Carl be ok?" She asked.

The girl just smiled, "You should go speak to your friends." She opened the door for Serena, her eyes wandering down to Serena's stomach, gazing at it.

Serena just brushed the girl off, "Thanks." She walked into the house in a hurry, followed by Glenn and T-Dog.

Lori and Rick were sitting inside, in the room off the enterance to the left, which looked like a living room. When Lori saw her rush in, she stood to her feet, welcoming Serena in a hug. It was a surprise from both of the women, but not completely unexplainable, considering what Lori was going through.

Serena and Lori stood in their embrace as they spoke, "How is he?" Serena asked her.

She started to cry, "Bad. He needs an operation. He's losing blood, internally. It's really bad. I don't completely understand. I'm scared." She tightened their hug.

Serena closed her eyes. She didn't know how to express how sorry she was for Lori and Rick. She knew words couldn't express how she felt, she just hoped she could help them by being here.

"Shane's gone with the man who shot him to the highschool up the road. I guess the have medical supplies there. Hershel needs a respirator to do surgery."

Serena released Lori from their hug and frowned, "Who's Hershel?"

She shrugged, "The man who owns this place. He's like, the leader. And he's a doctor." Lori pointed at a brown door in the corner of the room, "He's with Carl, through there. Carl's stable, for now."

Serena nodded, "Good." She looked at Lori, then down at Rick who had been watching the two women, "It will be ok. Shane will come through." She assured them.

Rick nodded, "I know."

She put a hand down on Rick's shoulder, "In the mean time, we are here." She pointed at Glenn and T-Dog, "For whatever you need."

Rick nodded and looked up at them, "Thank you all."

Glenn and T-Dog nodded. Serena pulled the bag of pills out of her bag and turned to the girl from the front porch, "Give these to your dad, they might be able to help." She handed the bag over and the girl looked at the collection of medication impressively.

She looked at Serena, "I'm Maggie, by the way." She smiled at the three that had just arrived. She lifted the bag, "I'll give these to Daddy, then fix you something to eat." She left the room.

Serena looked back down at Lori and Rick, both sitting on the couch staring at the floor plainly. They were lost in their own thorughts, and she didn't want to disrupt them. She sat down on the chair next to them, sitting in silence with them, knowing its all she could do for them.

/

Daryl was laying across the floor of the RV trying to get some rest. Antsy Andrea was sitting at the table of the RV fiddling with his gun. She knew nothing about the weapon, and was making a lot of noise. Carol was in the back bedroom crying loudly. He tossed from side to side, but no matter what, the women's sobs could not escape his ears.

Finally he stood to his feet. There was no getting any rest with these two women. He looked back at Carol, who was watching him, sniffling. He then turned to look at Andrea, "I need my clip, I'm gunna walk along the road, look for the girl." He held out his hand.

She looked at him, handing him his gun, "I'll come with you."

He shrugged. He was hoping to have some alone time, but he wasn't about to fight with her, and he knew telling her no would only result in her arguing.

They exited the RV. Daryl looked up at Dale, who was on watch up on the roof. Daryl waved the flashlight he had back and forth, "We're gunna walk along the road, shine a light on the woods, give Sophia something to look at."

Dale looked worried, but didn't protest, "Ok, good luck. If something happens, just holler."

Daryl nodded at the old man and turned, walking up the road, away from the RV. Andrea walked beside him silently, keeping pace with him. He waved the light across the brush, listening for any movement.

After a little while of walking along the road Daryl thought that they should go back checking where they had just walked again, "Let's walk inside the edge of the forest on the way back, incase we missed something." He suggested to Andrea, who seemed bored, almost wanting some sort of action.

In a way he supposed he had the same feeling. He was on edge and a kill, or some excitement, would probably help him right now. They entered the woods, following a light trail along the edge of it.

Daryl was more at ease once they were in the woods, something that had always represented shelter to him. He could tell that the forest did not effect Andrea the same way. She was worried, and on edge.

She watched him, studying him as he watched the blackness for any signs of the little girl. Andrea was surprised at how much effort Daryl was putting into finding Sophia, "Do you really think we will find her?" She finally asked.

Daryl looked at her, "It's Georgia, not the middle of nowhere, she probably hiding out in some farm house somewhere."

"Do you really believe that." She seemed skeptical herself.

"Kids get lost all the time, and they're fine." He said.

"She's only 12." Andrea reminded him.

Daryl smirked, "Hell, I was younger then that when I got lost." He told her, "9 days, out in the woods, eating barries and wipin' my ass with poison oak."

Andrea's mouth dropped, surprised, "And they found you?" She finally asked.

Daryl shook his head, "My old man was off on a bender. Merle was on one of his stints in Juvie. They didn't even know I was gone." He said it like what he was saying wasn't a horrable thing for a child to have gone through. He told the story like it was nothing to him at all. Just another memory. "I found my own way back." He told her, "Went right into the kitchen, made myself a sandwhich. No worse for wear. Except, my ass itched something aweful."

Andrea tried her best to hold in her laughter. He always told stories in the most non-chalante way, and it was almost comedic. She shook her head, "I'm sorry. That is a terrible story."

He smiled and shrugged. He really didn't mind if people laughed at him anymore, "The difference is," He continued, "Sophia has someone looking for her. I call that an advantage."

She nodded in agreement. He sure seemed sincere about Sophia's survival, and his hope almost inspired her to believe too.

As the walked along the path Daryl suddenly froze, his light hitting something large and orange throught he bushes. He lifted his bow, looking the object over. From the path he could tell it was a tent, but he couldn't see if there was anyone near by.

He pointed at the tent, looking at Andrea, who followed him off the path towards it. As they approached he could hear the moaning of a walker comming from the tree near the campsite. He looked up at the walker, hanging from a roap by his neck.

"What the hell?" He watched as the walker waved his arms at him, trying to grab him. The thing was helpless. It had no flesh on it's legs, as if other walkers had come by and feisted on it. It was disgusting. Daryl couldn't help to laugh at the idiot, who was now sentenced to life, hanigng in a tree. He noticed a piece of paper on the tree, which he read out loude, "Got bit, fever hit, world gone to shit, might as well quit." He turned to look at Andrea, "He was a poet." He laughed.

Andrea was looking at the creature sadly. She was not taking the situation quite as well as he was. "You think he'd just shoot himself in the head." She finally said. She kneeled over, "I think I might puke."

"Go ahead, if you gotta." He told her. After what he's been though, even in the last few day, it wouldn't faze him. He turned to the tent, "I'm gunna look through his stuff, then we should head back."

Andrea was still watching the hanging walker, "Arn't you gunna ..." She trailed off, having gotten her point across.

Daryl looked up at the walker, "Naw, he put himself up there, let him hang. Beside, thats a waste of an arrow."

Andrea watched the walker, reaching towards her. It was as if he were pleading to her to end his suffering. All she could think about when she watched him, is that he used to be a person.

As she watched the walker Daryl wondered what she was thinking. He couldn't even begin to imagine, but he could tell she was deep in thought, "Do you wanna live now?" He finally asked her. She looked at him, taken aback. He shrugged, "It's just a question?"

Andrea looked back up at the walked, "An answer for an arrow?"

He rolled his eyes, looking up at the walker. She felt sorry for the thing, he didn't get it. But he respected her, so he nodded, "Deal."

She nodded, "I don't know if I want to live. Or if I have to. Or if it's just a habbit at this point."

He nodded. The answer made sence to him. A few months ago, when they were living at the quarry, he had felt the same way. He didn't know why he was trying to hard to live, but he knew it was something he had to do. It wasn't until Serena came along that it all made sense. He shrugged, "There's a reason for you living." He told her, "You just havn't found it yet."

She looked at him. He didn't know if she was speechless because she thought he was an idiot, or because she understood him completely. He lifted his bow finally, shooting an arrow right through the walker's skulls, bringing it to its end. Andrea sighed and looked at him with satisfaction and appreciation.

/

**Bonding time for Andrea and Daryl. I actually like writing these two, it is intersting. Plus, they are both very important people to Serena, so I think a relationship there is important. Hope you all enjoyed.**

**Comment.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi all! So sorry about my little hiatus, I know it was painful. But guess who's back ... back again. Not Shady, Me! I got my computer fixed and I've got a few chapters in my head that I now just have to get them down in words for you. So enjoy the updates that will be coming your way in the next couple of days.**

**I own nothing, except Serena.**

/

Serena sat out on the porch of the Green's farmhouse. It was dark out, but she couldn't be sure of the time. She stared into the blackness, listening to the hum of the grass hoppers. She sat in silence with Glenn beside her. They, along with T-Dog who was inside, were just waiting for something to happen. For Shane to get back. For the others to come. For Lori or Rick to call for them. It would have been the perfect opportunity for any of them to get some sleep, but none of them could shut their eyes.

One of the women that was staying with Hershel, Patricia, had given Serena some breathing techniques to practice. It actually seemed to calm Amy when she did them, so she was thankful. The woman seemed to be a nurse of some kind, and was assisting Hershel with Carl. Patricia was also married to Otis, the man who had shot Carl. It had all been a hunting accident, but Lori was quiet angry with the man that she was still to meet.

They had all acted surprisingly normal about her being pregnant. Patricia actually congratulated her. It had thrown Serena aback a moment, but she was relieved to have an accepting presence. Hershel just looked her up and down and said nothing. He didn't seem so impressed, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Hershel also had another daughter they had met, named Beth, who was living here with her boyfriend, Jimmy. She was a petite blonde, who was quiet, but also sweet and welcoming. Jimmy stuck to himself, not really saying anything.

Lori finally came out of the house and looked at Serena with horror, "He's going to die. If they don't do the operation now, Hershel say's he's just going to slip away. He won't wait for Shane." She covered her eyes with her hands and wept.

Serena stood, along with Glenn. She put one arm around Lori, "Hershel is smart, and Carl is a strong kid. This will be OK." She tried to assure her. But from what she had seen of Carl only an hour ago, she couldn't really be sure. She looked down the driveway into the darkness. Where the hell was Shane?

"He wants a decision." Lori continued, "But I don't know how to make it."

Serena hugged her and led her back into the house, where she was sure that Rick would be able to console his wife.

Rick was still standing in the bedroom where they were keeping Carl when Serena found him. She guided Lori towards him, passing her off to him.

Rick took Lori into his arms, pulling her close. She put her hand across his chest, sobbing into it. Serena nodded at Rick, knowing that together, the two of them would be strong for Carl.

She then walked out of the room, to the living room where Glenn and T-Dog were standing, watching her. She shrugged at them, "I just feel so bad." She whispered, so the couple in the other room couldn't hear.

Glenn nodded, with a somber look on his face. T-Dog put his head down and then turned to look out the window. He suddenly jumped, "There's a car!" He yelled.

He ran out the front door. Serena followed him, hearing the rumble of an old truck engine coming closer. From out of the back bedroom ran Rick, Lori and Hershel, following her outside quickly.

The old blue pick-up came to a stop beside the others and Shane jumped out of the driver's seat, with a large backpack in each hand. He limped towards the group of them quickly, with a look of confusion, "Carl?" He asked, out of breath.

Rick nodded, "Still a chance." He told Shane, relieve his friend had shown up in the nick of time.

Hershel took the bags from Shane, looking behind him at the truck, "Otis?" He asked.

Shane looked at Hershel for a moment with a sorry look on his face. He finally shook his head, "No."

Hershel looked down for a moment, full of sorrow. He finally looked up at the group, who were all looking to him. "We say nothing to Patricia." He ordered. She had remained inside with Carl. "Not until after." He told them, "I need her." He then grabbed the two bags from Shane and ran back into the house to where Carl was fighting for his life.

Shane still watched the group, seeming disoriented and famished. Rick finally stepped forward and hugged his good friend. He rocked his friend back and forth, "Thank you, brother." He whispered.

Serena took a moment to look over at Lori, who now had Shane to thank for her son being alive. Lori was just staring at her husband and Shane who were embracing each other for dear life. Serena and these people had been through so much in the past few months, but this was one of the most touching things any of them had seen.

Finally Shane pulled away from Rick, "Go. Go be with your son." He ushered them.

Rick nodded, turning and taking his wife's hand. The two of them hurried back into the house to be at their child's side.

Shane took a deep breath and groaned, finally looking over at Serena with red eyes. Serena smiled, looking him over. He was dirty, and bloody. She reached out, wiping his shirt, "What did you do?" She asked him, jokingly.

Shane just shook his head, "It was horrible." He shut his eyes hard and turned away from her. He stood silently for a moment. Finally he turned back to her, "I need to go shower. I need to get this stuff off me." He wiped his arms and looked around.

Serena frowned. Shane was acting very weird. She nodded, "Ok, do what you have to do." She patted him on the shoulder.

He nodded and turned and headed inside. Serena looked over at Glenn, who had just seen everything, "Was that weird?" She asked him.

Glenn nodded, watching the door Shane had just entered. He then shrugged, "Who knows what happened to Otis, right? I mean, who knows what he saw."

Serena nodded. It was true, someone had lost their life in Shane's presence. That would kill Shane, which might be why he is acting so strange. She would let it go and hope he gets back to himself.

/

Daryl was pacing outside the RV as the sun rose over the highway. He was ready to move. He had set up a car nearby with a message for Sophia. He had also left a supply of food, blankets and a flashlight inside the car, in case the little girl returned. The message told Sophia to wait at the car for them, and that they would return every day. And he would. He had already committed wholeheartedly to this rescue.

He missed Serena like crazy, and a tiny part of him was worried about her. He trusted she would be OK with the others, but he always worried when he was away from her. He knew that Carol wouldn't be in a hurry to leave the highway, but he was ready to go.

Andrea finally stepped out of the RV, stretching. She turned to see the car that Daryl had set up for Sophia. She smiled, "That's perfect." She stepped towards it, looking inside at the supplies, "I just hope someone else doesn't grab that stuff."

Daryl shrugged, "It's the best we can do." He was packing the saddle bags of his bike for the trip.

Andrea nodded in agreement, looking over at what he was doing, "You in a hurry?" She asked him.

He looked at her as if she had asked a silly question, "Uh, yeah."

She smiled, shaking her head. She could tell he was antsy last night. She pointed at the car Shane had been setting up as his own, "I'll drive that one back, I think Shane was planning on using it."

Daryl frowned, "Why?" He looked the car over, it was small and fuel efficient, but it wasn't quiet Shane's style. Besides, why did he need a car? They were all travelling together.

Andrea shook her head, "I don't know. But I'd rather bring it, just to be safe."

Daryl, "Yeah, I don't wanna deal with the wrath of Shane."

"Again." Andrea added.

Daryl laughed lightly, "Yeah, I guess I speak from experience."

She laughed too, thinking of all the trouble Merle had gotten Daryl into before Serena arrived. That ass hole would let Daryl take the fall for anything.

She headed for the car, opening the driver's side and sitting down on the seat.

Daryl turned back to his brother's bike. He used an old t-shirt to wipe it down. He had always been jealous of his brother's sick ride, but this trip had been the first time he had been allowed to ride it. He hadn't wanted to tell Serena that, because the idea of the bike freaked her out all together. Besides, he hadn't really had the chance to truly enjoy the ride, so he was not giving it up yet.

Dale and Carol finally exited the camper. Carol eyes were red and puffy from drying all night. Daryl smiled and patted her on the shoulder, and turned to the car he had set up, "When Sophia comes back, she'll find this, and she won't be scared."

It took Carol a minute to read the sign before she exploded into hysterics, again. Daryl shook his head, "Oh Carol. Look," He put a hand on either side of her shoulders, "Sophia is going to be fine, because she is strong and brave, just like her mother. Right?"

She stopped wining and looked up into his eyes. She let out a few more sobs, and then nodded her head, "OK. You're right."

Daryl smiled with satisfaction. He was never the one to give someone comfort. He was far too gruff, and until recently he had never been sensitive about any subject. But in the past few weeks his heart seemed to go out to anything that had to do with kids.

Carol put her hand out on the car, placing her prayers with it. He turned to Dale, leaving Carol to her goodbyes. Dale smiled, "Well, all the supplied we collected are packed away, we can go anytime."

Daryl nodded and looked back at Carol for a moment, "Let's give it a little while still." He finally said.

/

Serena was sitting with Lori at Carl's bedside. Carl was stable, but still very weak. Hershel said that Carl was in the clear now, but would take time to recover. The others were collecting rocks for a memorial for Otis. Serena, of course, couldn't help and so she was offering her support to Rick and Lori.

Rick was weak too, from giving so much blood to his son. He was napping on the couch in the living room at the moment. Lori was so relieved that Carl was OK that she wouldn't leave his side.

From where she was sitting at Carl's bedside she could hear a low rumble drift in through the window of the house. She perked up, "Do you hear that?"

Lori lifted her head and nodded, "What is it?" She frowned.

Serena smiled and stood up, "It's a motorbike." She said matter-of-factly. She ran out the room, towards the front door.

She ran past T-Dog who was coming inside, probably to tell them all the others had arrived. She stopped on the front porch and watched Daryl come into view, followed by the RV and car that Shane had chosen as his.

The rest of the group who had been out looking for rocks came around the house as the RV came to a stop at the end of the lane. Serena dashed down off the porch, shaking in anticipation as Daryl parked his bike and dismounted. She threw her arms around his neck as he turned to her.

She dug her chin into his shoulder and took a deep breath of him. He held her tightly for a moment before letting her go and stepped back to look at her. She was fine, all in one piece. Relief surged through him.

Dale, Carol, and Andrea all joined the group and Dale looked at Lori and Rick questionably, "How's Carl?"

Rick nodded, "He's OK."

Dale let out a sigh of relief. Lori nodded, "Thanks to Hershel, and his people." She motioned to an older man standing with a group of people that Daryl had never met before.

"And Shane." Rick added. Daryl looked over at Shane. He was had to spot for a moment. Since the last time Daryl had seen Shane he had shaved his head, and looked worn. He nodded as Rick acknowledged him, "We would have lost Carl if not for him."

"Thank God." Carol exclaimed, taking Lori into a hug. It was probably some sort of relief to her to know Carl was safe. Dale hugged Rick as well.

Daryl looked over at the group who were with Hershel. They did not look as happy. He could tell that there was something more to the story of saving Carl, but he would ask Serena later. They had to re-group, set up camp, and most importantly, they had to find Sophia.

/

**There you go. God, it feel good to be back. What did you all think? I have to say, I am a reader of the comic books, but when Carl got shot it was even a shocker to me, which I love about the TV show.**

**Anyways, comment!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again, another quick update for you. I hope me uploading a few chapters so quickly will make up for not updates in a while. Its going to be another few chapters of Daryl and Serena spending time apart. I actually like writing all the relationships in this story, and don't mind their independence I've given them. I think it stays true to Daryl's character that he still goes out looking for Sophia, and likes to spend time alone. It's also cute when he finally does come home to Serena.**

**Anyways, comment!**

**I own nothing :( **

/

Serena stood with Daryl, Shane, Rick and Andrea. They were going over a map of the area with Hershel. Rick wanted to get the search for Sophia started up again. Hershel shook his head, "You gave far too much blood yesterday. You won't be able to go anywhere today." He looked over at Shane, "And your ankle, I wouldn't put too much weight on it yet, it will only heal wrong."

Shane and Rick looked at each other with disappointed looks. Daryl shrugged, "Looks like its just me then." He pointed at a spot on the map, "I'll start at river, see what I can find."

Rick looked over at Daryl, "OK." He frowned, "You sure you'll be OK?"

Daryl nodded, "I'll be better on my own." He told him.

Rick nodded. He looked around, "We can set up camp down there by that group of trees." He pointed at a cluster of trees a short distance from the house.

Shane looked over at Andrea, then back to Rick, "I thought we could start our gun training. If we are gunna have people out looking for Sophia they should be armed, and know how to use their weapons." Rick nodded in agreement.

Hershel looked over at Rick, "I'd rather you not carry guns on my land. We've managed just fine so far."

Daryl laughed, "And what happens when a pack of those flesh eaters stumble onto your land?"

Hershel looked at Daryl, but didn't answer. Rick nodded, "It's Hershel's land, so we will respect his wishes." He obediently placed his gun on top of the map, and then looked over at Shane. Shane groaned and reluctantly did the same. Andrea rolled her eyes at Shane and reached for her gun, handing it over too. At this point she was used to it.

Serena started to reach for her gun, but Daryl grabbed her hand, stopping her. He then turned to Hershel, "Look, my girlfriend is pregnant with my little girl, and I'll be damned if you think you're going to take her protection away from her."

Hershel cleared his throat and looked down at Serena's belly. He didn't seemed too pleased with Daryl's tone, and she already knew he wasn't too keen on her. He finally nodded and looked back to Daryl, "OK, that's fine. But only her." He shook his head and turned back Rick.

"The others might feel safe if you let our lookout carry a gun." He pointed tot he roof of the RV, where Dale was standing, "That's Dale, he has experience, and he won't fire the gun unless necessary."

Hershel sighed and looked at Rick, "Fine." He said sharply.

Shane looked over at Daryl, "And what happens if you find Sophia and she's bit?"

Daryl frowned, not wanting to think of it. He looked over at Rick, who shrugged, "Do what you gotta do." Rick told him.

Hershel made a painful face and looked over at Rick, "And what will you tell her mother?"

Daryl answered, "The truth. That's what she deserves." Hershel's mouth dropped and he looked down at the ground. Serena could tell he was unsettled at the idea, but was keeping his thoughts to himself, like usual.

Daryl shook his head and grabbed Serena's hand, walking away from the group. Serena tightened her grip on his hand, "Back into the woods you go." She said sadly.

He looked over at her as they walked, "You know I have to do this though."

She smiled and nodded, "I know." He needed something to do, for sure. "But what will I do?"

Daryl laughed, "Stay off your feet. Relax." They reached Daryl's bike, where his bow and arrow was waiting. He grabbed it, "I grew up in the woods, its like home." He assured her.

She sighed, "I still worry." She looked back at the group by the map, "I might practise my shooting with Shane and Andrea."

Daryl nodded, "There you go." He smiled, knowing the feeling of not being able to sit still.

Carol exited the house and approached them, "You going out to look for her again?" She asked.

Daryl nodded and smiled, "Yeah, gunna head back to the river." He told her. He then turned to Serena, "Ok, stay safe. Love you." He leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips before walking down the lane in the direction on the woods.

"You too!" Serena called after him, waving.

Serena then turned to see Carol standing beside her, watching Daryl too. She had a smile on her face. Finally she looked at Serena, "He is a good man." She said.

Serena smiled and nodded, "I know." She searched Carol's face, which was both sad, but had hope. Finally someone other then her was looking at Daryl in a new light.

/

Lori walked out of the farm house looking deliriously happy. Serena was sitting at a picnic table with Shane and Andrea as she approached.

Serena smiled up at her, "That looks like the face of a momma that just spoke to her little boy."

Lori nodded, "He's awake. He's weak, but he's going to be OK." She froze for a moment and then looked over at Shane, "He wants to see you."

Shane nodded, putting down the gun he had been cleaning. He looked over at Andrea, "Put your gun back together. When I'm done speaking to Carl, we can go out and find a good place to shoot."

Andrea nodded and started to re-assemble her gun anxiously. Shane turned and headed towards the house, leaving the three ladies at the table. Serena looked over at Lori who looked upset again, "Hey, you OK?" Serena asked, motioning for Lori to sit down beside her.

Lori nodded and sat, "I'm alright, really. But Carl, he asked about Sophia." She shook her head, "We told him she was safe."

"Good." Andrea said, still working on her gun, "That's what I would have done. He needs to focus on getting better."

Lori nodded, "I know, but it will break his heart when we tell him its not true."

Serena patted Lori's shoulder, "I'm sure he'll understand." She smiled, "He's a bright kid."

Andrea nodded, putting her re-assembled gun down on the table. Lori sighed, "I know, he is so strong." She smiled and then pointed into the field where they could see Glenn and Hershel's daughter, Maggie, on top of 2 horses, "Where they headed?"

Serena looked in the direction of the two campers, "They are making a run to a drug store down the road."

Lori jumped up, "I should catch Glenn, I have something I need him to grab." She started to speed walk away from them, towards where Glenn was awkwardly trying to become acquainted with his horse.

Andrea and Serena looked at each other suspiciously, before shrugging Lori's odd behaviour off.

/

Dale approached Serena, who was sitting on the porch, listening to see if Carl wakes up from the window. Everyone else was off exploring and setting up camp. She had managed to set up the large tent she and Daryl would share, with some help from T-Dog and Andrea. She stood up from the seat she was sitting in as the old man came towards her, "Hey Dale."

He smiled, "Hey sweetie, I was wondering if you would do me a favour?"

She stood up, "Sure thing."

He nodded and lifted his gun up to her, "Take watch for a while. You can still get up on the roof of the RV right?"

She nodded, "I think so. I'll try." She laughed, "Where you going?"

He winced, "T-Dog found a surprise down in the well, me and a few of the others are going down to help him."

She frowned and folder her arms, "What kind of surprise?"

He shrugged, "The dead walking kind."

She winced too. She tried to imagine what might have happened if T-Dog hadn't noticed the guest to begin with. She took Dale's gun from him and nodded, "I'll keep watch, you head down there and seem what you can do."

Dale nodded and walked away from her, and she made her way across the lawn to the RV, which was sitting on the edge of trees that was now their camp site. She hoisted herself, step by step, onto thew roof. She had a good view of the group down by the well, just a field over. Even Glenn and Maggie had stopped their trip for the time being to help out.

She watched in horror from the top of the RV as she watched the group co-ordinate and then drop Glenn down the well. They rest of them held onto the rope he was tied to, lowering him down inch by inch. Maggie was standing above the well looking down. She had a look of disbelief on her face.

Serena grabbed Dale's old pair of binoculars that were sitting by the chair that was on the roof with her. She zoomed in on the old water pump that they had wrapped the rope around to hold Glenn up. She could see in bending and it was worrying her. Maybe she could shout loud enough to warn them?

Before she had a chance, the rusty, old pump snapped out of the ground, causing the rope to loose tension and drop Glenn quickly into the well. Serena screamed, "No!"

Shane dove for the piece of rope, he and T-Dog grabbing it at the same time, pulling it tight. Serena stood, finger's crossed, hoping her friend was OK. Andrea and Maggie ran to the well, looking down. Serena could see them talking, but couldn't hear their conversation.

The rest of the campers grabbed hold of the rope, pulling it back up from the well. Serena's heart started to work again when she saw Glenn's flailing body emerge from the dark hole. He pulled himself out of the well, with help from the others. He scrambled away from the edge, checking himself over. Finally, Serena could see him smile, and she knew he was OK.

She couldn't believe Glenn's luck. She sat down on the folding chair, taking a breath. She could hear the groups laughter travel across the field towards her. Finally Glenn looked over at her, sitting as look out. He smiled and waved in her direction, giving her a thumbs up. She laughed, and waved back. What a crazy guy.

/

**Uhh, the well walker, what a crazy scene. I think it was such a gross episode. And completely unnecessary in the end. But still, makes for some good writing, in this chapter, and then next. **

**Keep up the comments all, I love them.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here's another for you all. I hope that everyone that loved and enjoyed my first story is still as passionate about it now, because I know I am. I am worried that readers may get bored of the story, but I love carrying on with the character of Serena, I've really become quite attached to her.**

**Thoughts? Comments? Let me know!**

**I own nothing.**

/

Daryl emerged from the woods, approaching the old house he had come across with caution. So far he hadn't heard or seen anything that would make him worry, but walkers could sneak up on you from nowhere, that he knew. He held his bow up in front of him, circling the outside of the house before deciding to go inside. It seemed like a welcoming place for a young girl.

He climbed the front steps and opened the creaky screen door. He could see down the hallway to the stairwell, leading to the second floor. The house was old, and probably abandoned long before the world ended. The rickety old floorboard gave him away as he moved through the main floor slowly.

As he entered kitchen the smell of fish filled his nose. He looked around for the culprit. In the garbage can, beside a cupboard, was an empty can of anchovies, or tuna, or something. It had been opened not too long ago, a good sign.

He then noticed the pantry, or closet of some kind. The door was open slightly, which intrigued him. He pointed his bow again, slowly opening the door. The closet had a collection of canned goods on the shelves, and on the floor was a makeshift bed. He studied the pillow and blanket. The bed was used by someone small, which gave him hope, and there were quiet a few unopened cans, which meant who ever was staying here, hadn't been for long.

He looked around for any other signs of the little girl, "Sophia!" He finally called out, confident he was alone in the house. He was just frustrated. He was so close, he had found where she was sleeping, but she wasn't here now.

He groaned, walking out of the room, back into the hallway. He moved towards the back door slowly. This door was hanging open, and might possibly have been used by Sophia. He stood at the back door and called her name again. He exited the house and looked around, but there was no noticeable trail he could pick up. It was all so frustrating. He called her name a few more times, maybe a little too loud.

Finally, in a back yard of over groan, green grass, at the back of the property, just on the fence line, he noticed a small spec of white. He climbed through the long grass to the object, which he realized as he got close, was a flower, two of them in fact. He knelt down, they were Cherokee Roses. He took a deep breath and smiled.

/

Serena had traded places with Maggie as look out. After Glenn's close call with death she didn't want to have anything to do with lifting up the walker. Glenn had managed, in all the chaos, to wrap the rope around the walker, under it's arms. Now Serena was spotter, while the rest of them were in charge of lifting the beast up.

The walker, who she could now see, was huge, probably 300 pounds, and had green slim all over it. Serena couldn't help but feel sorry for the thing, which in reality was still a human. It reached its arms up high, trying to grab for her, hissing and groaning on. Glenn had attached one of the horses to the end of the rope, so they had a lot of pulling power.

Serena waved her hand, motioning for them to start pulling. Along with the help of the horse, T-Dog, Shane, Glenn, Andrea, Lori, and Dale pulled the snarling monster out of the water and up towards her slowly.

As the head emerged above ground Shane yelled at her, "Step back, stay away from it."

She moved back a few paces, but could see from the bloated stomach, that they would have a problem pulling that over the side of the of the well. She turned to them, "Slowly!" She called. It was gross that somehow, down in that well, the thing had become something like a sponge, and she could see that the part that was submerged in water was puffed up, and was all bloated.

As the horse and the group pulled, the walker screamed, stuck on the wall. The water weight in him was too much to get over onto the ground. Serena started to move back, fearing the worse.

And then, just as she had feared, the disgusting walker in front of her simply split in half, insides and all, the limp bottom half of the thing falling back down into the wall, the alive top half coming to rest on the ground in front of her. She turned away from the mess and puked into the long grass instantly. The vile smell, along with the explosion of guts was too much for her to bear.

The group had fallen to the ground as the sudden release of weight was lifted. Andrea stood to her feet quickly, running to Serena's side, "Are you OK?"

Serena wiped her mouth and nodded, "Sure. I'm fine, that's just ... too much."

Andrea turned to the top half of the body, which was laying on it's back, unable to move, but just growling at her. She sneered, "Ugh."

T-Dog stepped toward Serena, "Go back up to camp, OK." He had an axe in his hand, and after what she hand just seen, he didn't want her to see him kill it too.

She nodded, turning away from the horrid scene at the well. As she was leaving she heard Dale say, "We need to seal off this well."

She shook her head. Was she the only one terribly disturbed by what she had just scene. That had once been a man! She shook her head, she was getting so emotional. As she approached the RV she saw Maggie standing on top of it, watching her, with a look of horror on her face. Maybe there was one person who was just as scared by the event.

She climbed the ladder of the RV slowly, needing a hand from Maggie at the end. It was getting to the point where she wouldn't be able to make that climb anymore. Maggie hugged her, "Are you OK? That was just awful. I just sort of saw what happened, the best I could from here, and then I saw you puke. God, how sick!" Serena was surprised at the girl's reaction, "And then what they did when you left ... just be glade you did leave." Serena knew what T-Dog had done. It's what any of them would have done. She would have done it, if she had been able to stomach it. She wondered if Maggie had ever seen a walker killed before. She seemed so upset about it.

She looked at the girl, "It was terrible, but at least we dealt with it."

Maggie's face hardened and she walked towards the ladder, handing her the look out gun. She stopped before descending, turning to look at Serena, "You know, that was a living, breathing person. He was someone's son, and maybe someones brother, or father, or husband. So I'm sorry, but I'm not so happy that you 'dealt with it'." She turned away from Serena, who was standing flabbergasted.

Before Serena was able to speak, Maggie climbed down the ladder and walked quickly away from their camp. What would she suggest they had done? It's not like they could keep it alive.

/

Andrea and Shane were planning on going out to find a place for target practice. Serena had originally planned on going with, but after getting sick earlier Shane wasn't having it. She moaned, "Shane, I'm fine now, I just want to come with."

He smiled at her but shook his head, packing his car up with some guns, "Nope, sorry, not today. Besides, today we are just scoping a place out. If you feel better tomorrow you can come along for the training."

She frowned, "I'm feeling better now." She turned to Andrea, who she knew agreed with Shane, but wasn't saying anything, "He's a jerk." She stated, crossing her arms over her stomach.

Shane laughed and closed the trunk, "No. A jerk is who I'll have to deal with if anything happens to you."

Serena just glared at Shane. It was true, if anything happened to her, Daryl would probably loose it. But she liked the protective side of him, Shane didn't have to make such a mean dig at him. The two of them had been fine, it seemed, since Merle had left the group. She looked at Andrea, "Be careful." She said, before turning away from them.

She walked past Carol, who was rushing towards Shane, "I'm coming!" She called to him.

Serena turned to see Shane open the back door of the car for Carol. Serena frowned. She knew it wasn't fair to compare herself to Carol, but she thought for sure Shane would be more willing to have her come along than Carol. Carol would be useless if they came across any walkers.

She shook her head and turned away from them again. As she approached the house she could see Rick, bent over on the steps, his head in his hand. She approached him, "Rick? You OK?" She asked.

Rick looked up with a worried face, "Yeah. I'm fine." He sighed, looked at her stomach, which was eye level for him.

She knew there was something wrong. He looked distressed. She sat down beside him, watching Shane and the others drive away before she finally spoke to him, "Something on your mind? You can tell me you know." She smiled at him.

He looked at her for a moment, and then leaned in close, "Look, I'm going to tell you something, but please don't tell anyone. I will only cause alarm."

Serena's eye got wide and she scooted closer to Rick, "I won't, I promise."

Rick looked at her a moment, not sure if he wanted to continue with the conversation. Finally, he nodded, "I'm going to tell you this, because you of all people need a home base. Hershel has told me that once Carl is well, we have to move on from this place." Serena froze for a moment. She gulped, searching for air, "You don't have much time left to find somewhere to settle down." Rick continued, pointing at her stomach, "If it were anyone else I wouldn't be telling them to do this. But if you leave, with Daryl, and find a place to stay, I think you'll be OK."

Serena pulled back from Rick, mouth open wide, "Wait, what?"

"Once you give birth you'll need to stay in one place for a while." He explained, "I can't promise that we, our group, will be somewhere safe in the next few months." He sighed, "I just know Daryl would be able to keep you safe, if you were to go now, and look for a safe haven for the three of you."

Serena thought she might cry. She could see Rick's reasoning, but the thought of leaving the group? It had never crossed her mind. Rick always thought practically though, and she knew he was coming from somewhere good. She took a deep breath, "I ... I don't know what to say. It's had never occurred to me that we should leave the group."

Rick shook his head, "And I'm not saying that you have to, by any means. If you choose to stay we will try our best to keep you safe, I just thought it might be easier to keep a baby safe if you and Daryl were to hold up in a house like this somewhere." He pointed behind him at the large farm house of Hershel's.

Serena nodded. She stared out into the pastures, thinking about the options. In reality she didn't know what would be best for a baby. She didn't know anything about what would happen after the baby came. She was clueless, and the feeling was causing her to worry.

Rick put his hand on her shoulder, "I didn't want to upset you. But Hershel won't let us stay here, and I thought you should know, so you can talk to Daryl about it." He smiled, "But it's your decision."

He stood up, walking back into the house, leaving her to her worrisome thoughts.

/

**Here is where I am literally split. I am really enjoying writing this story along to the TV series story line, but there is always a possibility of having Daryl and Serena break away from the group and start their own story. I think I would honestly miss the other character though, if I did that. What does everyone think? I'm still undecided myself.**

**Comment!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! I have to say, I love Cherokee Rose and Chupacabra, they have so much Daryl! I hope you are liking my version so far.**

**I own nothing, but comment!**

/

Daryl walked towards the white farmhouse on the hill with purpose. He was carrying with him the two roses he had found. He had put their stems down into an old beer bottle he had found, with water from the river. He held it tightly, hurrying now towards the house.

As he finally reached the cluster of trees where they had set up camp, his eyes scanned for Serena. He could see she had set up their tent, the one he used to share with his brother. T-Dog and Glenn was seated at a picnic table by the RV. He put the beer bottle down on the table when her reached them and sat down beside Glenn, who scooted over, shyly. "Where's Serena?" He asked.

T-Dog pointed to a clearing in the field, a little ways away. Daryl could see Serena sitting on the ground now, staring up at the sky, which was starting to change colour with the sunset. He smiled, watching as she sat peacefully, enjoying the time alone.

"She has been out there since Maggie and I got back." Glenn said out loud, "I hope she's OK."

Daryl turned to look at him, "Why wouldn't she be?" He asked.

Glenn shrugged, "She got a little sick today."

T-Dog rolled his eyes at Glenn, "We found a walker in the well." He told Daryl, "Long story short, it was one disgusting mess. She puked. That's all. She's not sick."

Glenn nodded, "Yeah, but she still might be feeling off, that's all I'm saying."

Daryl nodded, "I'll go cheer her up." He told them, standing up from the table, grabbing the flowers before walking away.

As he approached her he could see the gleam of tears on her cheeks. His heart jumped and he moved towards her quickly, calling to her when he was close enough, "Hey!"

She jumped a little, turning to see him. A smile spread across her face and she wiped away her tears as he approached her and sat down beside her.

He put one of his large arms up around her shoulder, pulling her into him as his butt hit the dirt. He placed the flowers beside him, wrapping his other arm around her too, in a hug, "What's up?"

She shook her head, nuzzling it his shoulder, "Nothing, I'm so happy you're back." She tried to lie.

He looked down at her, "No, tell me. I can tell something is wrong. I can see it in your face."

She sighed, and nodded. She leaned against him and started to explain, "Hershel is not going to let us stay here."

"What?" Daryl said, worried, "But he's a doctor. He can help." He started to rant out loud.

"I know, I know, I've been thinking about it all day." She told him.

"When did he tell everyone this?" Daryl asked, getting mad.

She shook her head, "He didn't. He told Rick that once Carl was well we would have to be moving on." She explained, "Rick only told me, because he knows we have a limited time before Amy comes. He wanted us to know right away, in case we wanted to leave on our own, to find a safe place."

Daryl nodded. Serena was surprised that this idea didn't surprise him at all. She looked up at him, "The idea doesn't seem to surprise you at all." She said.

He shrugged, "Well, it's not like I haven't thought about it." He told her, honestly, "If we left now, we could easily find an abandoned place that I could make secure. And I'm a hunter, and know the woods. If it were just us, I could provide no problem. And I'm all the protection we need." He smiled, "It would just be us."

The same things that scared her to death, was what made him smile. She worried about the idea of just the two of them alone to protect themselves and a helpless baby. He was confident that they would be fine under those circumstances. She shook her head, "So do you think that's what we should do?" She didn't really know if she wanted to hear his answer.

He shook his head, rubbing her belly, "I think we should think about it. I know these people are your friends, and I want you to be happy. I'm not going to make a decision that effects us both." He sighed, "We can talk about it again tomorrow, OK?"

She nodded, "OK." She wasn't sure if one day would help her to make a decision or not, but she was happy that he hadn't just said 'Yes, lets get out of here.'

He rubbed her shoulder with the arm he had wrapped around her, "Everything is going to be fine." He picked up the beer bottle with the flowers in it, "Look what I found for you." He took one of the flowers out of the bottle, handing it to her, "It's a Cherokee Rose, they represent hope." He smiled as she took it from him, smelling it, "I found two of them. One for Amy, and one for Sophia."

She smiled, looking up into his sincere eyes. The white flower was beautiful. And his knowledge of it surprised her, "Hope for Amy. It's perfect." She kissed him, wrapping her free hand around the back of his head, savouring the moment. She felt like she didn't get enough time with him, and every moment was one she need to hold on to. He was a busy guy, and others depended on him to. She would just have to learn to share him. But she could be so greedy.

She finally let him go, snuggling back down into his arms. They sat together, and he told her about the house he found that day, as the hot red sun set over the trees that he had been out in all day.

/

Serena woke to the sounds of the birds outside her tent. She was alone in the bed they had thrown together the night before. She was getting used to waking up to an empty bed, she didn't think Daryl got much sleep at all. She pulled herself up, wondering the time. The sun was already high in the sky, and she hoped she hadn't missed Daryl leaving for the day.

She exited the tent to see Carol hanging laundry. Lori was across the way from her, at the door to her own tent, pulling her boots on. She smiled at Serena, "Glade I'm not the only one who slept in." She said.

Serena rubbed her eyes, "I needed it." She said, "You probably did too." She added.

Lori didn't say anything, she just nodded, standing and heading over to help Carol. Serena was slow at pulling her shoes on her expanding feet. Once she finally did she looked around for Daryl, who she hoped hadn't gone far.

She found him down by the RV, hovering over a map with Rick, Dale, and Shane. Rick had regained his strength and was ready to go out and help look for Sophia. Serena joined them, pushing in beside Dale and Daryl. Daryl turned to look at her, wrapping an arm around her wait, "Morning." He said.

She smiled at him, "You shouldn't let me sleep so much." She told him.

He laughed, "You're pregnant, of course I should." He told her.

She shrugged, and looked down at the map, "So whats the plan?" She asked.

Daryl pointed at a spot on the map, "I'm gunna take a horse, ride up tot his ledge, see what I can find." He looked over at Rick, "The others are gunna search sections that Rick's chosen, close to the farmhouse I found."

Serena nodded, "Be careful on that horse."

He snickered, "I'll be fine." He was always so confident.

She patted his chest, "I know, but still, be careful."

Carol approached her, "Serena, I was wondering if you wanted to help me make dinner for everyone. I thought since you can't go out and help look, you might be looking for something to do."

Serena thought about it for a moment. She wasn't really a housewife, and knew very little about cooking, but it would be something to do while everyone else was out searching for Sophia. She nodded at Carol, "I'll help with what I can." She told her honestly. She was just happy to have something to do while her man was gone for another whole day.

/

As Serena made her way to the house, Carol having gone inside a head of her, she could hear someone strumming a guitar. She made her was up the steps to find Glenn, fiddling with the strings of an acoustic guitar, staring out into the empty field. She sat down in the chair next to him, "Hey Glenn, whats up?"

Glenn looked over at her, stopping his playing, "Just thinking."

She nodded. Everyone seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. She nudged him with her elbow, "About what?"

Glenn looked at her, and down at her stomach. He smiled and started to laugh, "If I told you something, would you promise to keep it a secret?"

Serena could not believe the week she was having, it seemed like everyone had a secret to share with her. She nodded, "Is everything alright Glenn?"

Glenn shrugged, "I don't know. But I think you might understand better than anyone." He looked around, "Yesterday, when I went to the drug store, Lori asked me to get her a pregnancy test."

Serena looked at Glenn for a moment. Lori, pregnant? That could be trouble, for the obvious reasons, as well as the Shane reason. She finally took Glenn's hand, "Glenn, don't tell anyone else about this. Believe me when I say, this is Lori's private business, and she doesn't want anyone getting involved."

Glenn nodded, "I didn't know what to do. That's a big secret to keep. But I thought you might have an idea."

Serena nodded. She remembered the confusion and fear that came over her the first couple of days after she found out she was pregnant. As much as she would like to talk to Lori about it, she knew how private it could be. She hoped that anyone who knew, or became aware of the situation would think of Lori, and what she would be going through at this time. She sighed, "It's a big secret to keep. But it's not yours to tell either."

He nodded, understanding, "OK. I'm just glade I told someone. It's a bit of a relief."

She understood that feeling. She stood up, heading into the house, leaving Glenn to his guitar once again. As she was entering the house, Maggie was walking out, stopping to look at Glenn awkwardly, before she closed the door.

/

**Wow, I love how everyone is telling Serena everything. Haha. Its OK though, I guess she just comes off as trustworthy. She's so cute, and preggers, and innocent. Well, I think Lori being pregnant will help to bond her and Serena, but we will just wait and see, cuz I still don't like Lori all that much.**

**Anyways, comment and lemme know what you think!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Oh man, one more for you all. I hope you enjoy, this has a little Merle in it for you all.**

**Comment.**

/

Daryl rode the strong horse up along the edge of a trail, on the top of a ridge. The horse was skittish, he had realized already. The first few arrows he had shot off, at squirrels, the horse had reared back, stupid thing.

As he rode along the ridge his eyes scanned the river that ran below him. It was shallow, for the most part, and luckily a girl Sophia's age wouldn't drown in it. For a moment he thought he spotted a piece of clothing in the water, as he brought the horse to a halt. He jumped down and tied the horse to a tree, making his way down the drop to the river.

The piece or clothing turned out to be a doll. He picked the toy up and studied it. He hadn't spent much time with Sophia when she had been with the group, but he seemed to recall her holding this doll on a regular basis. He looked around, but again, no sign of a trail, "Sophia!" He screamed. Nothing.

He reluctantly made his way back to the horse, untying it and jumping back on. He would have to watch the river more carefully for more signs of her. He tucked the doll in his large back pocket, stuffing it down in there in order not to loose it on the ride. As he guided the horse along the trail he watched the scenery around him.

Suddenly, a snake snapped at the horse from where it sat, on the trail ahead of him. The already jumpy horse reared back in confusing. It reared again, causing Daryl to loose his grip on the horse and fall off, rolling down the side of the ridge violently. When he finally can to a stop at the bottom of the ridge, in the river, a sharp pain was shooting up his left side.

He cursed, gaining his vision again, and looking down at one of his arrows which was now sticking through his side, just under his arm pit. "Son of a bitch!" He scream, laying in pain at water flowed around him. He had hit his head too, and he could feel blood flowing down his forehead, into his eyes.

He pulled himself toward the edge of the river, moaning in pain. He took a better look at the arrow, solidly sticking into him. He ripped off his sweater, that he was wearing over the stupid ACDC shirt he still had. He used the sweater to tie the arrow in place, not wanting to pull it out.

Once he was sure the arrow would stay in place, he assessed the ridge, which was much higher at this part of the trail then it had been earlier. He sighed, if he ever wanted to get back to Hershel's farm, he needed to get to the top of that ridge. As he tried to stand a pain in his back hit him, probably from the arrow. He managed to drag himself to his feet, grabbing a large stick to use as a crutch.

He looked along the ridge for the the best spot to start his climb. Suddenly from behind him, he thought he heard sticks snapping. He looked around desperately for his arrow, realizing he didn't have it. He looked back at the river, where he had fallen. Shit, that's probably where his bow was, buried at the bottom of the river. He groaned, he would have to go back in to find it, he wasn't leaving that baby behind, it was a life saver, literally.

/

Serena watched admirably as Carol threw some flour and water together on the kitchen counter, and began to roll it. She smiled at Serena, noticing her staring, "I thought I'd make some rolls to go with dinner. It's easy, if you want to try rolling it." She patted the ball of dough on the counter, stepping back a allowing Serena to take a turn.

Serena rolled the squishy dough with her hand, pressing it and flopping, like she had watched Carol do. She smiled, "This is the first time I've ever rolled dough." She laughed.

Carol shrugged, "Well its good to learn. You will be able to make some for Amy when she's old enough."

Serena nodded, looking down at her stomach, "Hey Carol?" She asked, "Do you know how to make baby food? Like, if I got veggies and stuff, do you know how to do it."

Carol laughed and nodded, "Really, you just boil whatever it it and mash it. That's all you need, is to mash it."

Serena blushed, she hadn't realized it would be that easy. She nodded, "Good to know."

Carol nodded at her, "I'll show you how to make lots of things for the little girl. She will eat well."

Serena smiled at the thought of raising her daughter with these people to help her. It had been the reason she had never considered leaving to begin with. She just felt her daughter's life would be better with more people. It seemed now more than ever that it would truely take a village.

/

Daryl opened his eyes, shaking his head, hoping to clear it. The last thing he could remember was climbing about halfway up the rocky ridge. He was now laying on his back beside the river again, with his side and head both screaming in pain.

His vision was blurry, but he thought he could hear something moving around him. He opened his eyes wide, trying to lift his weak head. Suddenly a man knelt down beside him, and his brother's face came into clear focus, looking him over, "Why don't you pull that arrow out dummy?" Merle asked, "You can bind your wound better."

Daryl smiled up at his big brother. He knew this was all in his head, but even so, it was good to see a familiar face, "Merle."

Merle nodded down at Daryl, "What's going on here? You taking a nap or something?"

Daryl laughed, "It's a shitty day Bro."

Merle rolled his eyes, "You want me to find you a pillow or something? I could maybe rub your feet."

Daryl smiled. His imaginary brother was just as much an ass hole as his real one, "Screw you." He sniped.

Merle's face hardened, "You're the one screwed from the looks of you. All the years I spent trying to make a man out of you, and look at ya. Lying in the dirt. You're gunna die out here brother. And for what?"

Daryl took a deep breath, "Carol, she lost her little girl." He tried to explain.

"So you've got a thing for little girls now?" Merle laughed, "Or maybe it's the girl you've got waiting for you back there, she made you a big softy."

"You leave her out of this, you ass hole." Daryl snapped.

Merle shrugged, "Well I'm sorry, I just couldn't help but notice you weren't out looking for old Merle no more. You didn't really look long at all, did you?"

Daryl looked up into his brother's eyes, "I tried like hell to find you Bro."

Merle shook his head, "Like hell you did. You split man. Followed that pussy right out of town the first moment you got."

Daryl cleared his throat, "No, you got out. I went back for you, but you were gone. All you had to do is wait, you knew I would come for you."

Merle laughed, "Buddy I didn't know you at all. I could tell you had something going with that chick, the moment you brought her back to camp. Suddenly your too good for you big brother. Your her little bitch is what you are."

Daryl rolled his eyes, "I'm nobodies bitch."

Merle snarled, "You're all their bitches. Rick, Shane, all of them, your their little bitch. You know you're nothing but a freak to them, right? Red neck trash, that's what you are. And all the girl see's when she looks at you is her little bitch." Daryl closed his eyes, drifting out of consciousness. Merle smacked his chest, bring him back to life, "Listen, they are not your kin. None of them. Even that little girl she's carrying. If you had any nuts in ya, you'd go back there and shoot that Rick in the face for me and tell that girl of your to hit the road, before she hurts you." He grabbed Daryl face, "Ain't nobody gunna care about you but me, you hear me. Ain't nobody ever will." He stood to his feet, "Now get up, before I kick your teeth in." Merle stepped back, kicking Daryl foot, before fading away.

Daryl shook his head, trying to find his brother again. Suddenly he realized there was something down at his feet snarling. He focused in on it, coming to see it was a walker. It had his foot in his hand, trying to bit through the steel toes, thank god.

Daryl sprang to life, kicking at the beast, trying to pull himself up off the ground. The walker grabbed for Daryl arm's pushing him back against the hill. Daryl reached for any kind of weapon he could find, his bow, which he had fished out of the river, was still laying on the ground. He finally grabbed a large stick, smacking the monster across the face with it, knocking it back onto the ground. He threw himself onto of the confused beast, bashing its head with the stick until it's skull caved in.

He had no time to rest, however, because another walker came out of the bushes, running at him. Daryl grabbed the bow from the ground, having to use his feet and both hands to pull the string back, because his wound was making his arm ache. He looked down at the arrow sticking out of him, and then back up at the walker charging towards him. He grabbed the arrow, pulling it out of his body, screaming in pain.

He winced and placed the arrow into his bow, just in time to raise his weapon and shoot the arrow right through the walker's forehead. The walker dropped to the ground only a few feet away from him. Daryl lay on the ground between the two bodies, breathing heavily. Even he couldn't believe how close he had just come to becoming a walker himself.

Daryl looked up at the ridge, "Merle!" He called.

Suddenly, from thin air, his brother appeared at the top of the ridge. Merle smiled and waved, "Up hear little brother."

Daryl pointed up at his big brother, "I'm coming up there you ass hole."

/

Serena stepped out of the kitchen, it was getting warm in there. She walked across front lawn tot he camp site, where Andrea was standing up top of the RV, on lookout, the sniper gun in her hand. Serena laughed, looking up at her, :Damn girl, you look bad ass with that gun in your hand."

Andrea smiled and looked down at her, "I'd be even more bad ass if I got to shoot the thing."

Serena nodded, agreeing with her friend. Glenn and Dale were inside the RV, but all Serena needed to hear was, "Hey Dale, do you think Andrea's on her period?" to know she didn't want to walk in on that conversation.

In amongst the tree she could see she, sitting in a chair outside his tent, taking a long swig of a bottle of water. He and Rick had arrived back from their search a little while ago. She made her way over to him, "Hey." She sat her pregnant butt down on the ground beside his chair, "What's up?"

Shane turned his head to look over at her, "Nothing, you know, just tired."

Serena nodded and looked at him, "I like this." She said, pointing at his head, "The short hair, it looks good on you."

Shane smiled, "Yeah?" He cleared his throat, "Well, my hair was getting too long, it was hot." He lifted one of his hands, running it along the top of his head.

They sat together silently for a moment, before Shane finally spoke, "So I think I'm gunna stay."

Serena nodded, looking into his eyes, "Good." She said, relieved.

Shane smiled, "Yeah, I know you'd miss me way too much, and I have this thing against making pregnant women cry."

Serena laughed. She would have missed Shane, had he left. But she then remember what Glenn had told her earlier that day. If Lori was pregnant, it was as much a possibility that the baby could be Shane's as it could be Rick's. The thought worried her, but it wasn't her secret to deal with.

"Walker!" Andrea called suddenly, from the top of the RV. She stood on the roof, with the binocular glued to her face. She was looking out into the field, along the edge of the woods. She lowered the binoculars, "Walker!"

/

**Uh oh. I can not see this going well for Serena and Andrea's relationship, can you? I can't wait to see what happens, and how Serena reacts.**

**Comment all!**


	12. Chapter 12

**One more before bed for you all. Read and enjoy. Its a pretty intense one. Hope you all love it.**

**I own nothing.**

/

"Walker!" Andrea screamed, laying down on the roof of the RV, taking a better view of the monster through the sniper rifle.

"Just one?" Rick asked, from beside the trailer, looking out into the field. With the glare from the sun it was hard for anyone to get a good view of it.

Andrea nodded, still watching through the gun, "I bet I could nail it from here."

"Andrea, no!" Rick called up to her.

Shane grabbed a pick axe from beside his tent, before joining Rick. Serena stood at the side of the RV with one hand over her eyes, trying to get a view of the beast.

"You best let us handle this." Shane told Andrea. T-Dog and Glenn both grabbed weapon before joining the other two men.

Andrea rolled her eyes at Shane, frustrated. Rick looked at Shane, "Shane, Herhsel wants to deal with walkers."

Shane frowned, "What for, we'll take care of it."

Rick groaned, running to the RV to grab his own gun for running down into the field with the other men.

Serena watched as the walker stumbled out of the wood towards them. She frowned, trying to adjust her view to get a better look. There was something very familiar about the creature moving across the field. Serena looked up at Andrea, "Throw me those binoculars." She asked her.

Andrea tossed down the pair of binoculars before raising her gun again, "I can totally hit it from here." She said again.

Serena raised the glasses, peering at the walker through them. She squinted. That black shirt made her feel eerie, like she had seen it before. The men approached the beast now, stopping to stare at it. Serena froze, there had to be a reason they weren't just taking the walker out.

Serena focused in on the shirt. She could swear she knew that shirt. She read the letters out loud, and gulped. Oh my god, was that an ACDC shirt?

"Andrea ..." Serena said, just as the bullet shot off across the field. Serena watched at the walker in front of group of men drop to the ground, and she thought she were going to be sick again. She dropped to her knees, clutching her stomach, "No!" She called out in horror.

She could hear Rick screaming too, out in the field, and knew that what she suspected was true. The walker out in the field hadn't been a walker at all, it had been Daryl. Tears streamed down her face as Dale reached her collapsed body. She wrapped her arms around him, "It was Daryl. Andrea, you shot Daryl!" Serena screamed up at Andrea, who was standing on the roof of the RV looking confused as hell.

Serena tried to make her feet work, but to no avail, her body just wasn't working the way she wanted. Dale hugged her shaking body, while Andrea ascended from the RV, running down the hill toward the group of men, who were dragging Daryl's body up towards them.

Serena sobbed, still bent over, clutching her belly for dear life, "Is he dead?" She asked between tears.

Dale rocked her body back and forth, "I'm not sure sweetie. Shh, it's OK."

Serena closed her eyes and shook her head. This was a dream. It had to be. With all of Dale's strength he was able to drag Serena to her feet.

She wiped her eyes frantically, as she watched them drag Daryl along towards the house. With Dale's help she moved along the fence to where they would meet him. Andrea reached Daryl, turning to face Serena, "He's not dead!" She called.

The lump in Serena's stomach jumped. There was still hope, he hadn't been taken from her yet. She held herself up, waiting at the edge of the field for her boyfriend, whom her best friend had just shot.

He wasn't dead, but he was in pretty rough shape, she realized as they walked towards her. Rick looked up at her as they approached, "The bullet just grazed his head," Rick said, trying to calm her, "He's just unconscious. We have to get he looked at by Hershel."

Serena nodded, moving towards her man. She touched his head, inspecting the bullet wound herself before moving aside and allowing them to continue on the the farm house. She took a deep breath and looked over at Andrea coldly.

Andrea shook her head, "Serena, I'm so sorry." She started.

Serena held her breath. She wanted to explode of Andrea. She wanted to kill her, for being so cocky, but all she could do is accept the apology, and move on.

Suddenly a sharp pain shot up Serena's stomach, making her double over onto the ground, "Ow!" She called, grabbing down for her belly, "Oh my god."

Andrea dropped to her knees beside her friend, "Serena, are you OK?"

Serena shook her head as another pain shot through her, "No, its the baby. It hurts."

Andrea looked up towards the house, where the men were dragging Daryl inside. "Help!" She called to them, hoping one of them would turn around and see her.

Shane turned, running back down the steps of the house and down towards where Serena lay. He stopped above her, "Serena?"

Serena looked up at Shane with distressed wide eyes, "Shane, it's the baby! I'm scared."

Shane nodded at her, bending down and lifting her, in all her pregnant glory, up off the ground, carrying her towards the house. She put her arms around his neck for support. Shane looked at her with worry, "Hershel!" He called as he reached the front porch.

/

Daryl moaned as Patricia patted down his wound on his side. He looked at her as if she were killing him, "Why can't Hershel look at me?" He asked her angerly.

Patricia looked at him, not sure quiet what to say. Rick had asked her not to tell Daryl about Serena until he was all patched up. Rick knew that once Daryl found out about Serena he wouldn't be able to focus on anything else. She smiled ay Daryl, "He's just tending to somethings." She told him.

Rick came into the room, looking at Daryl bruised, dirty body. He smiled at him and then looked down at the ground, "Daryl, don't loose it, but Serena is in the next room being looked at by Hershel."

Daryl sat up, pushing Patricia away from him, "Why?"

Rick winced, "We're not sure. She has been having some pains in her stomach." Rick wasn't able to get another word in.

Daryl jump out of the bed, grabbing one of the clean shirts Carol had washed and brought him. He followed Rick our out of the room he was in and crossed the hallway to another bedroom. As Daryl opened the door he was met by screams from Serena. He pushed the door open the rest of the way quickly. He rushed to her side, as she lay on the bed. He grabbed her hand and she stopped screaming and looked over at him, scared.

Hershel was leaning over her stomach with a stethoscope to it. He sighed and looked up at Daryl, "She's in labor." He told him.

Serena shook her head, "It's too soon." She said quickly, "I still have a month or so still to go."

Hershel looked up at her, then a Daryl, who was just looking at Hershel with hope. He shook his head, "I can give her some Terbutaline to stop it. We use it for the horses sometimes."

Daryl frowned, "Horses?"

Hershel shrugged, "I'm a vet. I've never been faced with something like this. I'm not sure how much she'll need to stop the contractions, but I think it will work."

Daryl's eyes widened. He hadn't realized Hershel was a vet! That worried him, but he had no choice but to give him a shot, or else they'd be meeting Amy far too early. He nodded, "OK, do what you gotta do." Hershel nodded and exited the room, going to gather supplies.

He looked at Serena, wiping his hand across her forehead, "It's going to be OK. You tell Amy to hold in there, and that we can wait to meet her."

Serena looked up at him, and nodded, "I will." She put her hands down on the belly, "What about you? Are you OK?"

He nodded, "Yeah, fine. Thank god Andrea is such a shitty shot." He laughed.

She smiled, "Well you got me all worked up, and Amy thought she could join the party."

He nodded, leaning his head down and kissing her cheek, "You're OK." He told her, more for his own sake than hers, "Hershel's going to stop her." He out his head down on her stomach and whispered to Amy, "We aren't ready for you out here, you hear me little one. Just hold tight, a little longer."

/

**Holy intense. For a minute there I bet you thought we were all going to meet little Amy, but not yet, sorry. Hold it there though, cuz when it happens, I know it will be huge.**

**Comment!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Oh my gosh guys, I'm on ep. 6 of 7 already, before the big hiatus. I hope there isn't too much of a break between my last chapter and when the new episodes start up again, or else I might have to start writing something else :s. Well, hopefully I can drag the next two episodes out into a few nice chapters for you. **

**Enjoy and Comment!**

/

Daryl exited the room where Serena was. Hershel had started giving her small shots of the medication that was supposed to stop labour. She had only just started to get comfortable. He grabbed his things out of the room he had originally been dragged into. He would be staying in with Serena from here on out.

As he went back into the hallway separating the two rooms he saw Andrea, standing at the end of it, watching him nervously. He stopped and looked at her, waiting for her to speak. She smiled at him, "I'm so sorry Daryl."

Daryl nodded, "You were just protecting the group, I'm fine." He looked at the door leading to Serena, "She's going to be OK." He assured Andrea.

Andrea nodded, "And Amy?"

Daryl shrugged, "She's still sitting tight in there."

Andrea's shoulders dropped, relieved, "Tell her I'm sorry, OK? I'll talk to her later."

Daryl nodded, agreeing. He then turned the nob of the door, opening it to see Hershel giving Serena one more shot of medication. He looked up a Daryl, "I think this will be the last round. The contractions seemed to have stopped, and her stomach isn't as tight." He lifted his stethoscope to Serena's belly again.

Daryl put his things down on the ground beside the bed, before sliding down beside Serena, who was drowsy, but still awake. He wrapped one of his arms around her and she placed a hand on his chest, leaning against him. She sighed, "Thank you Hershel." She said softly to the old vet.

Hershel lifted her tool from her stomach and looked at her. He smiled, momentarily, and nodded at her, "Now, you need to rest as much as possible for the remainder of your pregnancy. It's also very important that you stay away from stressful situations, I have a suspicion that's what started the ball rolling to begin with."

Serena groaned, "All our lives are high stress right now."

Hershel nodded, agreeing, "Well, you will have to try and lay low, because your daughter depends on it."

Daryl nodded at the old man, "She will. Thank you."

Hershel nodded again, and left the room, closing the door behind him, leaving the two of them alone.

Daryl looked down at Serena, who's head was resting on his arm, eyes closed. He rubbed his head, which was still in pain, he realized. He had completely forgotten about his whole ordeal once Serena went into labour. He cleared his throat and she opened her eyes to look at him, "Andrea was worried about you. She's sorry."

Serena nodded, and closed her eyes again, "I'll talk to her later."

"Don't be too hard on her, she didn't mean any of it." Daryl told her.

Serena shrugged, "Daryl, she literally shot the bullet that started this chain of events, I can't really let her off easy."

Daryl shrugged. He could tell she was still upset about everything, and he wasn't about to argue with her about it now. What Andrea had done was stupid, but from his point of view it was understandable. He just hoped Serena would come around. He brushed a hair away from her face as she nuzzled into him, dozing off quickly. He was exhausted too, but he knew it would be hours before he would fall asleep. He needed time to convince himself his two girls were OK.

There was a knock at the door and Carol opened it, with two plates in either hand. She smiled at the as she entered the room, "I thought you both might be hungry." She then noticed Serena's eyes were closed. She looked at Daryl, handing both plates to him, "Daryl, thank you for what you did for Sophia today."

Daryl nodded, placing the plates down on the side table by the bed, "It was nothing, I wish I could have given you more."

Carol shook her head, "Don't be silly, you did more for my little girl today then her own father ever did." She stopped, her eyes moving over to Serena who was now fully asleep in Daryl's arms. She smiled again, "You are a good man." She put one hand down on his shoulder, letting it rest there for a moment.

Daryl just looked up at Carol. He had respect for this woman, and he did appreciate what she had said, but he didn't quite know how to accept the compliment. Besides, he hadn't done anything that Rick or Shane wouldn't have done. He nodded up at her finally and smiled, "Thanks for the super." He added.

She nodded and moved back to the door. She turned to him before leaving the room, "I hope you like it. Serena did the rolls." She smiled and left, leaving the door open so that he could hear the others in the dining room, eating all together.

/

Daryl dragged an old chair he had found in out by Hershel's work shed across the lawn towards the cluster of tree that was their camp. He dragged it right into camp, placing around the fire pit the others had put together the day before. He looked around, the placement of the chair was important. He wanted it to be close enough to the RV that you could hear what was going on, but under the trees, in the shade.

The chair was perfect. It had a big, sturdy back and the lower part stretched out, so that you could put your feet up, like a day bed. He thought he could set it up with some pillows and blankets, so that Serena could sit out in the fresh air, and still be resting. This was she was still involved in what was going on around camp.

Glenn watched him as he pulled a sleeping bag out of their tent, near by and layed it out on the chair, along with three pillows he had grabbed from the house. Glenn stood up, inspecting the chair, "It this for Serena?"

Daryl nodded, plumping the pillows up. He then stood back and inspected the thrown himself, "She won't be able to do anything, so over a month. I would go stir crazy if it were me." He said.

Glenn nodded, "She'll be happy she has a spot outside." He looked up at the house. Maggie had just come out the front door, and was headed towards him now with a basket in her hand. Glenn gulped, "I'm gunna go." He marched away from Daryl, up towards Maggie, who had a look of worry on her face. Daryl ignored the two of them, he had a suspicion they were screwing, and he didn't need to know anything more.

Down by the RV, Shane and Rick were getting ready to go out for target practice. Rick was trying his best to convince Lori that Carl was old enough to learn how to shoot. Daryl rolled his eyes as Lori protested. There was no doubt in his mind, Amy would know how to fire a gun long before she would be Carl's age, he would make sure of that.

Andrea approached him, "Hey Daryl."

Daryl turned to look at her, "Hi."

She smiled, "I was wondering if Serena is up? I wanted to see her before we leave for gun training."

Daryl nodded, "She's awake. I think Patricia is fixing her some eggs."

"OK." Andrea turned, heading towards the house.

"Andrea!" Daryl called after her. Andrea stopped, turning to look at him for a moment, "Hershel says she needs zero stress, so don't get her worked up, OK?"

Andrea frowned, "OK." She didn't seemed to understand how she would get Serena worked up. It then occurred to Daryl that Andrea might not think Serena is mad at her at all. That could be an explosive situation. Daryl rubbed his sore head. All this worry about Serena's stress level was sure to raise his.

/

Patricia had scrambled some fresh eggs for Serena, and served it with a few left over rolls from the night before. She sat up in the bed that Carl had occupied only a few days ago, eating her plate of breakfast. The door to the hallway was open, in case she needed to call for anything, and the window was open wide as well, letting a nice warm breeze sweep in across the bed. She sighed, it was another beautiful day, and she would love to be outside.

Andrea suddenly appeared in the doorway, "Hey girl." She explained, entering the bedroom and sitting down in a chair that was sitting beside the bed.

Serena looked over at Andrea, placing her fork down on the plate in front of her on the bed, "Hi."

Andrea smiled, "I was so worried about you. Thank god your OK." She reached out for Serena's hand, but Serena pulled it away before she was able to grab it.

Andrea froze, looking at up Serena's cold stare. Serena shook her head, "Yeah, thank god." She put her hand down on her stomach, "If anything had happened to Daryl, or Amy, I wouldn't have been able to forgive you."

Andrea's mouth dropped, "But you do, right?" She pleaded.

Serena sighed, "Andrea, you are careless, and hot headed. Didn't it ever occur to you that there is a reason Dale didn't want you have your gun. It can have disastrous consequences. I mean, I'm sorry, I will forgive you, but I haven't yet."

Andrea started to cry quietly, wiping the tears as they escaped her eyes, "Serena, I'm sorry. I thought I was helping. I thought he was a walker."

Serena shook her head, "But you were still told not to shoot." She was starting to get worked up, and she stopped herself from yelling at her friend more. She took several deep breaths before continuing, "The fact that you thought you were protecting the group is the only thing that is saving you here."

Andrea closed her eyes and turned her head away from Serena, "Well don't worry, I'm going out with Shane to learn how to use my gun properly."

Serena nodded, "Good." Was all she said. She picked her fork back up, popping another scoop of eggs in her mouth.

Andrea stood up from her seat, heading towards the door of the room, knowing that Serena was done talking to her. Andrea sniffled a little bit, "I really am sorry. If anything had actually happened to Daryl or Amy, I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself either." She walked out of the room, leaving Serena to her thoughts.

/

Daryl appeared at the door to Serena room with a smiled across his face, "Hey." He said.

She turned to look at him. She smiled and laughed, "Hi. You look suspicious."

He shrugged, "I do?" He took a few steps towards the bed, "Maybe that's because I have a surprise for you." He then turned to the door, "Shane?"

Shane came around the corner into doorway, smiling too. He stepped towards her, putting one of his arms down under her back, and the other under her legs, lifting her up, "Now, your Prince Charming is a little sore, so I'm doing the heavy lifting for him."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around her neck. Daryl looked upset that he wasn't able to lift Serena yet, but he knew his arm and side would take a few weeks before the were back to normal. Luckily, he already knew Shane could lift Serena, and he cared enough for her he would help him out.

"What are you two up to?" Serena asked, squinting at Daryl.

Daryl opened the front door to to the farm house open for Shane to get through. He carried her down the steps and across the lawn to where their camp was. Serena could see a chair set up at the camp fire that was bigger than all the rest, comforted by a few blankets and pillows. Shane stepped around the tents carefully until he found his way to the chair, placing Serena down in it. Daryl was standing right beside Shane as she adjusted herself, nesting into the chair comfortably.

She looked up at two of her favorite men, who were both looking down at her happily. Shane smiled, "There you go Princess." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead before turning to Daryl. The two men simply acknowledged each other by nodding. Shane then walked off to join the others, who were waiting to leave for target practice.

Daryl folded his arms with satisfaction and looked down at her, "There. Now you are resting, but you can be involved too." He pulled another chair from around the fire over to right beside her, sitting down.

She reached over and grabbed his hand, lifting it up and kissing the back of it, "Thank you."

He nodded, "You deserve it babe." He leaned back in his chair, holding her hand happily while she settled into her new thrown for the next month or so.

/

**Awe, I actually love Shane and Daryl. They can't stand each other, but they both love Serena though. I think it was sweet. Also, I know Serena was a little harsh on Andrea, but honestly, when that episode premiered I was waiting for someone to yell at her like Serena did, but no one even gave her a hard time. Well she is not getting off as lucky in my story.**

**I also appreciate no one mentioning the speed up of time, as far as the baby is concerned. I know, Serena was 2 months away a weeks ago, and now she only has a month to go, but I'm the same as the rest of you, and I can't wait to meet baby Amy. So I did a little time jump.**

**Comment all!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys, here's another one for you. It's time for Serena to have a chat with Lori, don't you think? Lol. Enjoy.**

**I own nothing, sadly. Except Serena.**

/

It was only a few minutes afters the others had left for gun training when Patricia approached Serena and Daryl. She cleared her throat, "Uh, I don't know if your well enough or not," She pointed at Daryl, "but I've got some things down the road at my house that will come in handy for you. We can take Oti-My truck, over there if you want."

Daryl nodded, "Things for the baby?"

Patricia smiled, "My daughter was expecting, so I put some things together for her." Her smile disappeared from her face, "I never got them to her."

Both Daryl and Serena looked at each other. It was obviously very hard for Patricia to part with the item she had, but she knew they could use them. Daryl stood, "I'm sorry you couldn't give them you your daughter. But we would make use of what ever you have."

She nodded, "OK. I'll go tell Hershel I'm leaving with you. And I'll fill up the truck and we'll go." She smiled and then turned and walked towards the house.

Daryl scratched his head and looked down at Serena, "I don't know what we need, or what's what when it comes to this stuff, so I'm just gunna grab everything."

She smiled, "Patricia will know what we need." She grabbed his hand and pulled him down, kissing him, "Don't push yourself, either." She added, putting her hand on his bruised and stitched side.

He shook his head, "I really don't even notice it."

She just smirked and lay back on her chair. He was probably in some bad pain, because bruises don't lie, and she had seen his this morning.

"OK, well I'm gunna go carry that gas can for Patricia. I'll see you when I get back." He smiled and blew another kiss to her, walking away.

She lay in her chair staring out into the field. She watched at Otis' blue truck drove down the drive and out of sight, Daryl's head hanging out the passenger's side window waving until they drove out of sight. She listened to the rumble of the old truck long after it had gone from her sight.

She picked up a novel that Carol had brought her. It was one of few that were in Hershel's house, _Pride and Prejudice_. She made a face. She had read it before, for school. Guess she would just have to read it again. Nothing against Jain Austen, but at this point she would have rather a nice harlequin.

She was only reading for a few minutes when Glenn approached her, "Psst." He said, sitting down beside her.

She chuckled, "What?" He was acting so strange lately.

"You have to talk to Lori." He told her, taking his hat off and running his hand through his hair.

She looked at him, "Why?"

"Because she asked me to get her the morning after pill when I go into town today. She is gunna try to kill the baby." He whispered to her in desperation, "You have to talk to her." He begged of her.

Serena sat for a moment, her hand on her stomach. Abortion had never been a consideration for her. When she found out she was pregnant during the end of the world she just figured that was it, you had to accept it and live with it. She frowned, "I don't even think that will work. It will just make her really sick."

Glenn shrugged, "I dunno. I mean, I'm gunna do what she asks, but please, while I'm gone, will you talk to her." He looked like a little ball of stress as he pleaded to her.

She nodded, "I'll talk to her. But she is gunna do what she thinks she has to."

Glenn stood up, "At least you can try. Should I go get her?"

Serena shook her head, "No. I'll bring it up later with her. Give me time to think about this."

Glenn nodded, "OK, good, thank you."

Serena sighed and leaned back in her chair, "No problem."

Glenn looked at her, "You want anything from town."

She smiled, "Yes please. A puzzle book of some kind. Cross Word, Word Search. Things like that?"

He smiled and winked at her, "Gotcha."

"Thanks." She waved as he ran off towards the barn where Maggie was saddling up the horses.

She folded her arms and looked out across the field. She would have to talk to Lori, but she wasn't quite sure how she would approach it.

/

Serena watched as Carol and Lori cooked up some bacon for everyone who had stayed behind. Serena could tell Lori was trying to avoid standing too close to the cooking meat. She knew that feeling. It was morning sickness kicking in at it's finest. She was trying to avoid the smell of the meat, in order to avoid puking, but Serena knew it was only a matter of time before she would have to let it out.

After only a few minutes Lori turned away from the fire, running past her, into the bushes. Serena listened to her as she gagged behind her. Carol turned Carl away, turning his attention to a math problem while the bacon cooked.

Lori was silent for a minute, and then she appeared beside Serena. She cleared her throat and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. Serena looked up at her, "Sit down for a minute." She told her, patting the chair beside her.

Lori looked over at Carl, and when she was content that he was fine, she sat down. She looked at Serena and smiled, trying to shrug the sickness off, "I don't know what happened."

Serena looked at her, "I do." She just stared at Lori for a moment, and when Lori said nothing, Serena nodded at her stomach, "Morning sickness."

Lori looked away from Serena for a moment. She stood very still, and then began to cry, "I don't know what to do."

Serena let her cry, putting a hand out and grabbing her's, "Have to talked to Rick?"

She shook her head, "No ... I can't."

Serena shook her head, "He is a good man. He will help guide you through this. None of the rest matters."

"To Shane it will." Lori gulped.

Serena sighed, "Shane's a good man too. Hopefully, he will understand the way things have to be."

Lori looked at her, "You have such a different view of Shane than I do." She sat silent for a minute before continuing, "I don't want this baby to live this life ..." She turned to look at Serena, "I shouldn't be talking to you about this."

She stood, but Serena still had a hold of her arm, "Lori, of all people, it's me you should be talking to."

Lori sat down, crying again, "No. Look, I'm not as brave as you. I can't have this baby. I won't."

Serena took a deep breath. She was trying to stay calm. "You know that Rick will protect and love this baby, and you, as much as Daryl does for me. What is your concern?"

Lori smiled, "Memories is what keeps me going. The memories of what life used to be. I have a deep well to draw on, I still remember Joy. But Carl's well, it's already running dry. And this baby?" She paused and looked at Serena. Serena could feel the tears filling in her own eyes. "This baby won't have any good memories at all. Only fear and pain." She put her head down.

Serena let a tear fall from her eyes. There were some things she knew her daughter would never experience. But she would have good memories. She shook her head, "How can you think that? Today you are letting Carl learn to shoot, with his Dad and Shane, the two most important men to him. Don't you think that today is going to be a good memory to him?" She hugged Lori, "You can still find Joy in this world."

Lori sobbed into Serena's shoulder, "Do you really think my baby has a chance?"

Serena pulled Lori back to look her in the eyes, "I believe that both our children have amazing odds." She sighed and smiled, "Don't give up hope. This baby is a sign that there is still Joy in this world." Serena reached out and touched Lori's flat stomach.

Lori looked down at her belly herself. She sighed, sniffling, "I need to talk to Rick."

A huge weight lifted off of Serena's shoulders and the world escaped Lori's mouth. It wasn't a guarantee that she had saved this baby, but she had given it a fighting chance. She nodded, "Please talk to him. I promise, it will help."

Lori wiped her face, drying it. She then pulled her hair back into a ponytail and turned to her, "Does it look like I've been crying?"

Serena shook her head, "No."

She smiled, "Good." She stood up, "Thank you Serena."

Serena nodded, "Of course, I'm here to talk, any time."

Lori nodded and then walked away, in the direction that Carol had gone with Carl.

Serena closed her eyes and rested her head back. She tried not to dwell too much on the things Lori had said. Serena didn't think she was right, when she said it's memories that keep us going. At least not for Serena. For Serena, it was two people. One was Amy, someone she hadn't yet met, but had kept her going since day one. The other was Daryl, who fought every day for her, and if given the chance she would definitely do the same for him. She still holds onto the memories she has, but at the same time, she fights for her family's future.

/

Patricia and Otis' house reminded Daryl a lot of his childhood home. It was one floor, with a long drive, and the woods right in the back yard. Even Otis' old tool shed to the side of the house was a lot like his old man. The house it's self was probably originally wood, but Daryl could tell that in recent years they'd had siding put on. It was a light yellow colour, with white trim around the windows and door.

It was a two bedroom house, more the size of a cottage. When you went in the front door you walked right into the open kitchen/living room combo, with the two bedroom at the back of the house. That was all she and Otis' needed, Patricia explained, "We used to live right next to Hershel, but when the kids moved out, there was no need to keep the farm. Otis fell in love with this place when he first saw it."

She opened the door to what would have been Daryl's room that he used to share with his brother, had this been his old house. He couldn't believe how it had the exact same layout and everything. In this house the room was a spare room/storage area. Laying ontop of an old wood framed bed were three open boxes.

Patricia pulled one towards the edge of the bed, "I used to be a huge knitter and sewer." She pulled out a pile of what looked like diapers, "My daughter was real eco-friendly, you know. So I made these for her." She handed one of the diapers to him. It was made of a soft fabric, with Velcro on the tabs, "They are cloth diapers. I never used them, too much work, she insisted on them." She looked back into the box, "Anyways, I made 5 diapers in 4 sizes."

Daryl looked at the diaper, "So once they poop we have to clean this?"

Patricia laughed, "Yeah. It's a special fabric, water resistant, so it wont seep through, or stain, don't worry."

Daryl made a face, "OK ..."

She pulled the box with the rest of the diapers in it off the bed, placing on the floor. Daryl put the one she had given him back in the box with the others. She grabbed the next one, "Some booties." She pulled a pair out. She were knitted green boots with frogs on them. Daryl took them in his hand, astonished at the small size of them. She pulled some other things out too, "Sweaters, hats, hand warmers, all very important." She sorted through the box, "Oh, I have a few baby books down here too." She stopped sorting for a moment, pulling a book out of the assortment.

Patricia stood in silence staring at this book for a few minutes, before pulling it into her body and hugging it. She sighed and then tucked the book under the cover's of the bed, so that Daryl couldn't see it, "Don't need that one." She sniffled, "I think I might have some extra blankets in my room too." She turned to the door, "You sort through the last box, it's just more of the same. Just stuff I made, or bought, that I thought my daughter could use. I'll be back."

Daryl nodded as she left the room. She turned to the box. Inside were a few hand made stuffed bears, like the one his grandmother had given him as a child. Daryl had only met the woman twice in his life because she and his old man never saw eye to eye, but the one time he did she gave him a stuffed bear.

Daryl checked the box, realizing that they could most likely use everything that Patricia was offering. He looked at the box of diapers again. He wasn't looking forward to the laundry, but this woman was a life saver.

Finally, temptation broke him and he pulled the book that had upset Patricia so much out from under the covers. It was a wooden book that you could put your own pictures in. On the cover it said, _Welcome to the family!_ with a photo of a man and a woman on their wedding day. Daryl assumed the photo was of Patricia's daughter. In behind the bride and groom was a group of 10 or so other people, including Patricia, who was standing with a large man. Judging from the other photos on the walls of Patricia's house, Daryl assumed the man standing with her was Otis, a man Daryl had never met, but thought now that he might have enjoyed getting to know him.

/

**There you go. That was kind of a long one for me. Hope you enjoyed it. If you did, remember to comment and let me know. **

**It's the comment's that inspire me to write chapters and post them quickly ;)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys. I've come up with an idea that some of you are gunna like, and some of you are gunna be a little annoyed with. I start to lay the ground work for it in this chapter, and you can let me know what you think. **

**Comment!**

/

Patricia entered back into the spare room, where Daryl was sorting through the boxes, "Here." She said, stopping in the doorway. Daryl turned to look at her. In her hand she held an old bassinet, the kind that was just like a basket. But it was real old, with handles, made of wicker, and a pretty yellow cloth. She held it out to him, "I wasn't planning on giving this to my daughter." She stared down at it, "It's very dear to me. I raised 3 kids in this thing." She smiled and looked up at him, "Still works as good as the first day I made it, just a little worn is all."

His mouth dropped as he took it from her. It was still sturdy, good enough to hold a baby for a while, "You made this? I couldn't-"

"Don't be silly." She smiled, "This is a good bed, and transportable. It's perfect. You have to take it."

He smiled and put it down on the bed beside the boxes. Inside the bassinet was a few knitted blankets, and a small pillow. He just peered down at the bed a moment. It really was perfect, and the fact that it had lasted as long has it had said something to him. He nodded, "Thank you so much." He looked over at her, "Before we leave, I'll be sure to catch you some meat as thanks. Since your husband was the hunter..." He scratched the back of his head.

She smiled, "I'd appreciate that, thank you, if you could. As for the bed, it's a gift. It will serve you well." She turned to look at one of the pictures on the wall. Her smiled faded from her face as she looked at the photo blankly for a moment. Finally she shook her head and looked at him, "OK, lets pack this stuff up. I don't like to be here too long."

Daryl nodded, turning and picking up 2 boxes to carry out to the old blue truck of Otis'. Before he left, he decided, he would do an oil change on this baby too, as a thank you. This old lady was on her own now, and need all the help she could get. It was too bad Hershel was being such a dick about letting them stay, because he could see them all depending on each other to live on the farm and survive.

Once he was done packing everything into the truck, he waited outside, leaning against passenger's door. Patricia was taking her time leaving. She wanted to be sure everything was locked up. She didn't want anything, or anyone getting into her house. He also knew she needed one more moment alone to look at her photos. Who knew when she'd be back?

/

Serena was able to get some sleep, as the sun seeped in through the greenery above her she shut her eyes. The breeze, though warm, was refreshing on her face, and the chair they had built her made the most comfortable bed too. With almost everyone gone she felt as if for once she could let her minds, and her thoughts rest, and just honestly get a much needed nap in.

Just as she was starting to doze off she was woken alarmingly by Maggie hollering. Serena sat up and snapped her head in the direction of the shouting. From around the side of the tent Serena could hear Lori trying to calm her, "Common in here." Lori came around the tent to the door of it, so Serena could see only Lori from where she was sitting. Serena could also see Glenn, standing on the other side of the tent, probably behind Maggie.

Maggie continued to scream, "Why? Got something to hide? Special delivery, right here. You got your conditioner, and your lotion, and your_ Reader's Digest_."

Lori was standing looking at Maggie shocked, "Maggie ..." Glenn looked so concerned. The look on his face was frantic, but he did nothing to interfere.

Serena cleared her throat, "Lower your voice!" She called. She couldn't see the angry girl from where she sat, but she knew what else Lori had asked them to get, and she would feel horrible if Maggie were the one to out her.

There was silence from behind the tent, and then Maggie continued, in a lower tone, "Next time you want something, get it your damn self, we are not your errand boys." She huffed and then ran away from them all, past Glenn and out of sight.

Glenn looked at Lori, "Sorry." He whispered, shrugging. He then turned, running after Maggie.

Lori took a loud breath. She picked up the things that Maggie had thrown on the ground while she was listing them off. She put them back into the shopping bag they had been in, and then stood up, turning to look at Serena, "Thank you." She looked into the bag, "There was only one other thing for her to name."

Serena nodded, "You're welcome." She looked up at her, "But talk things over with Rick, before you do something you regret." She pointed up at the bag.

Lori nodded. She opened the bag and pulled out the_ Reader's Digest_, "I think this was for you." She smiled.

Serena laughed and grabbed the book, "Yep." She looked the cover of the magazine, _Is The World Ending?_ With a photo of a walker, standing in a white room. Serena sighed, "I think I already know how this one ends." She said, holding up the cover for her to see.

Lori cringed, "Really? Do you think he even looked at what he grabbed?"

Serena shrugged, "I'm sure that's all they had. Everybody was printing these kind of stories before things shut down."

Lori nodded, "Yeah, I remember." She sighed, "It didn't really seem like much time at all, did it. I felt like I read the first story about this mysterious disease one day, and then, BAM, like two days later someone down the street was acting weird." She shook her head, "No warning."

Serena nodded, remembering the chaos in her dorm room the moment the news started to break. Lori turned, walking back to the laundry, which she had been doing before she was attacked Maggie.

Serena looked down at the photo on the cover of the magazine. The photo of the walker is obviously taken through a glass, which means this story was from the time of the initial breakout. Back when they first thought they could contain them all. At first they threw the diseased people in locked rooms, thinking that if anyone were bite or scratched in the process that they could disinfect and treat the wound. That notion only lasted about a day.

She put the magazine down. She wasn't quite sure yet if she would bother to read the articles inside. She looked out across in front of her, bored. She then leaned back, shutting her eyes again. She hoped she could let herself relax, and drift to sleep again, but this time her mind refused to shut off. She kept thinking about what Lori had said. "It had all happened so quickly." She sighed. No one ever talked much about their lives before, or how it had been for them when the disease first started. It just, wasn't something any of them cared to re-visit. She drifted off to sleep, letting her memories surround her.

/

**Sorry guys, it's a shorty. But does anyone else see a flashback next? That was my big idea. I'm going to write the next chapter as a flashback! So that should be a nice long one for ya, and it's going to let me drag out my story for a little longer. Only 20 more days until season 2 starts up again!**

**Comment all!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys. Here's another chapter for you all. Its a flashback for Serena, and I hope you enjoy a little more insight into her life. If you're not interested, or just want to get back to the main story, you can simply skip ahead to the next chapter. KK? OK, enjoy!**

_/Flashback/_

Serena sat on Craig's bed, leaning up against the wall, watching the TV on the desk, across the room from them. He was sitting beside her, but on the edge of the bed. He had pulled his coffee table towards him and was rolling a joint.

She rolled her eyes and focused more on the news then him. What more could she expect, he was her roommate's dealer after all. Mostly weed, but she knew he dealt other stuff to other people. The TV was a bustle of news reports, all about the virus that was quickly becoming an epidemic. Earlier that day classes had been canceled, and she had spent the day locked up in his basement bedroom in the house he shared with a few buddies.

Craig had become her regular hook-up over the last few months. Originally, she couldn't stand him, and in actuality she still couldn't, but she didn't mind the company. He was very attractive and great in bed, which is the only reason she had kept up their affair. He was cocky, and very good at playing it cool when they were together outside of the bedroom. He was exotic looking, with dark features, he reminded her or a rugged looking Rob Kardashian. When it came to their relationship, they got together, hooked up, and that was it. Just the way both of them liked it.

He put the joint to his mouth and lit it, inhaling loudly. He blew smoke rings in her direction, annoyingly. "Want some?" He asked, holding it out to her.

She shook her head, "No, I'm good." She would accept, sometimes, but she had already been here for a few hours, and had had enough. She leaned forward, watching a clip on TV that someone sent into the news. It was of the military taking down one of the walker that had been spotted in the city. She squinted, "Craig, isn't that The Quad?"

He turned to look at the TV. The news report said the video had been taken just over an hour ago. Serena watched the screen intently. She knew it was The Quad, a grassy area in the center of campus, she walked through it everyday. He shook his head, "That could be anywhere." He looked at her, "You're trippin' me out."

She shook her head, ignoring him. She looked around on the floor of his room for her pants. She needed her phone. She pulled it out of her pocket and started to pull her pants on, looking around for the rest of her outfit. With one hand she dialed her roommate, Amber's, cell phone number, putting the phone to her ear.

Craig continued to watch the news while she pulled her shirt on, listing to the ring of her friend's phone in her ear, "Pick up, pick up." She whispered.

"Rena!" Amber said, picking up.

"Amber, what's going on?" She asked, "I swear I just saw a walker in The Quad on TV."

"Uh, yeah. Where the hell are you? We have been in lock down for the past two hours. And two of the RAs got scratched by one of the people that were infected. They have the worst fevers." Amber rambled into the phone, "I didn't know where you were, I thought they might have gotten you."

Serena stood silently for a minute. She listened to the news caster, as she warned everyone to stay away from anyone who might have been bitten or scratched. "I'm sorry, I'm at a friends. Look, you have to stay away from anyone who has been attacked. They think thats how it spreads. I'm watching the news now."

"They won't let us watch the news in here, they cut the power. They say that if we watch the news it will only panic everyone." She cut off for a minute and Serena could hear her talking to someone on the other side of the phone.

Serena looked at Craig, "Psst." He looked up at her, "Get dressed, this is serious." She pointed at the TV.

He put the joint back in his mouth, taking another hit. He shrugged, "Why? If this is serious, I'm not going anywhere." He said, laughing and pointing at another video on the TV, this one of a bystander getting attacked by a walker. The person screamed and reached out to the camera for help, it was horrid.

"Serena! Are you still there?" Amber called into the phone.

"Yeah?"

"Good, OK, listen. I guess the military are going to set up a Refugee Center? I dunno much yet, but once we get more word, the RAs are going to take us there." "Oh ... OK." Serena looked at the TV. She had no desire to go out there.

She sighed, "I'll watch the news for info on the Refugee Center. I'll meet you there, sound good?"

Amber was distant again, talking to someone else, and then she came back, "Yeah. Good idea, stay where you are." She started to cry.

"What? Amber, what is it?"

"Josh! He was one of the RAs that was sick. I guess he just died." She started to ball into the phone, "Rena, I'm scared."

Serena walked over to the bed, collapsing on it in shock. Josh was a strong guy, a runner. He was healthy the last time she saw him, which had only been this morning. She shut her eyes, "It's fine Amber, everything is going to be fine. I'll see you in a little while, OK?" She tried to hold it together to comfort her friend, who right now was worse off than she was.

"OK." She took a deep breath that Serena could hear though the phone, "I'll see you soon." And then Amber hung up.

Serena put the phone down, looking at the TV. This disease was nationwide as far as she could tell. she dialed her father's number into her phone next, hoping to get a hold of him, rather then his voice mail, for once.

Her father picked up on the second ring, "Baby?"

"Dad?" Serena said, her grip tightening on her phone. She could hear the worry in his voice.

"Are you OK? Are you safe?" He asked anxiously.

"Yeah Dad, I'm fine." She said, starting to choke up hearing his desperation, "Are you OK?"

"New York is in bad shape Baby Doll." He cleared his throat, "They are locking down the city, shutting down the bridges and stuff. No one goes in or out." He stopped and started to talk to someone on the other side of the line before continuing, "I've been trying to organize a flight out of here for an hour, but apparently you can't even buy your way out of here." Now he just sounded frustrated.

"I didn't realize things were so bad." She said, mostly to herself.

"Honey, I've phoned around, and no amount of money can get my hands on a cure to this thing. Believe me, there isn't one. They aren't even close." He stopped, "I've wired more money to your account. Get out of the city. Go now, while you can. You do what you have to Baby, and don't think twice about it."

"Dad, you'll get out, I know you will." She looked over at Craig, who was watching her with his blank, stoned eyes. Even Craig was starting to clue in to how serious the conversation was, and he was pretty clueless.

"Sweetheart, I love you. Stay strong, and when in doubt, run." He told her sternly over the phone. Serena could tell he was seriously tell her good-bye.

She started to hyper-ventilate, "Dad, I love you." She told him, between heavy breaths. Craig sat up in the bed, just looking at her. He hesitantly started to reach for her hand, but she pulled it away from him before he could grab it. She did not want to be comforted by him while she was cry for her father.

He father sniffed for a moment, then said his final good-bye, "I love you too. Keep your head up, stay sharp." Then the phone cut off. Serena looked down at her cell phone, 'Call Ended' it said. She frowned. He hand hung up so their good-bye wouldn't drag out.

She looked over at Craig. He was sitting looking at her still. He looked like he was waiting for her to tell him something.

She stood up, grabbing her backpack that she had brought with her. He jumped off the bed, "Whoa, what's going on?"

She looked at him for a moment, then finally rolled her eyes, "I'm going to get out of the city."

"That's just silly. There are people that can help here, the Police and Military." He told her.

She shook her head, "They locked New York City down. It's going to get worse here too. I'm getting out before I don't have a choice."

Craig looked at her in disbelief, "And where exactly are you gunna go?"

She shrugged, wondering the same question, "I'll hide out in the middle of no where for a few weeks, until things get under control."

He laughed, "We'll I'm gunna do that right here. We have food up stairs, beer, weed, and I have a shit load of movies." He laughed, "I'll have a lock down party."

She thought about staying, but only for a minute. She could barely spend a few hours with Craig, never mind lock herself in with him. She nodded, "OK, well, I'm still gunna go. I guess I'll be seeing you."

He nodded, "Yeah, uh, good luck." He didn't quite know what to say. She had found that he never did know what to say when she left. On time, he had simply said thank you. He smiled, "If things don't work out, turn around and come back. You are welcome to lock down with me anytime."

She shook her head at his suggestion. He never was for seriousness. She just laughed it off, "Thanks for the offer. I'll keep it in mind."

She opened the door to his room, stepping out into the hallway. "And when this is all over," He smiled, leaning against the doorway, "Call me, OK?"

She raised her eyebrow at him, smiling, "OK." She wasn't convinced she'd ever see him again, but he was pretty comfortable blowing the whole thing off. She turned and walked away from him, towards the stairwell, leading to the back door.

He shut the door to his room behind him, settling in for the long haul.

/

Dark was falling over the city as Serena drove her jeep out of Atlanta. She drove past the crowds of cars parked in the opposite lane, leading them into the city. She didn't stop or turn around. She felt bad for telling Amber that she would meet her at the Refugee Center, but her father had told her to leave the city, and she was very good at doing what she was told.

Serena climbed a hill, as the city appeared in her rear view mirror. She watched it for a moment. Everyone she knew and cared about, other then her dad, was in that city. She cleared her throat, pressing down on the gas. Her stomach rumbled and she reached over for for a granola bar from the stash she had in her glove box. She didn't have the radio on. She had had enough of the news and chatter, it didn't do anything but concern her more.

The road on her side was clear sailing, and she drove along the road, heading in no particular direction. She was only on the road a few minutes when a group of planes flew over her head. She brought her jeep to a screeching halt, turning her body around to see the planes, headed towards Atlanta. She put the jeep in park and jumped out, standing beside the vehicle.

The planes flew over the city and she watched in horror as they dropped things down onto the streets. She watched from a distance as the city itself started to shake, and the glow of red, hot fire filled the sky. Panic struck her as she realized that the city she had just left, and everyone in it, had just been destroyed. She had just escaped with her life, leaving everyone else behind. She thought about Amber. Who knows if she even made it to the Refugee Center. And Craig? He had probably just died in his basement, alone and high, laughing at the losers on the TV.

Time passed and Serena just stood on the hard road, staring at the dead city. She didn't know where to go from here. She had gotten out, but from there she had no plan. And she had left with the idea that she could always go back. That was out of the question now. Her stomach jumped and she got back into her jeep. She was tired, scared, and hungry. She needed to find a safe place to buckle down for the night. She would regroup tomorrow, and try her best to get through another day. Or better yet, she would wake up the next day and the whole thing would be a sick dream. If only ...

_/End of Flashback/_

**There you have it. You all got to meet Amy's dad. Real winner, huh? Oh well, it doesn't matter, Daryl is her dad now. Anyways, what did you all think? Let me know. Comment.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Here we go. I didn't get many comments on the flashback, but I actually enjoyed writing it. At times it can be difficult following along to the exact storyline of TWD. And it is really hard for me to write these last few chapters before the hiatus because I don't know whats going to happen! Uh, I just want the season to start up again!**

**I own nothing :( But comment anyways.**

/

The group of survivors that had gone out for gun training arrived back at camp in the middle of the afternoon, as the heat was starting to set in. Rick walked through the trees towards Serena, with Carl at his side. Lori was sitting beside Serena, washing a few of the dishes they had dirtied at lunch.

Carl raced to her, "Mom! I did so good. Even Dad and Shane were impressed, right Dad?" He beamed, turning to his father.

Rick nodded proudly, "Our boy has skill." He smiled, telling his wife.

She nodded, "That's good to hear. As long as you are responsible about it-"

"Mom, I know." Carl maoned, "I already had to hear it from Dad and Shane." He pointed at his Dad, "And Dad made me give it back while I'm in camp anyways."

Lori smiled up at Rick, "Well I'm glade to hear that." She sighed, looking around, "Where is Shane?"

Rick nodded, "Him and Andrea stayed behind for some more training. She was doing really well. And then the two of them were going over to this housing development that Sophia might have stumbled upon.

Serena rolled her eyes, "Great, just what we need is Andrea's aim improving."

Rick looked at her sympathetically, "She's learning how to use it safely too. To think before she acts."

Serena nodded, letting the subject go at that. Lori looked at Serena, nodding in Carl's direction.

Serena smiled and turned to the boy, "Hey, Carl, I was hoping you could help me? See, I have this game that Hershel gave me, but it needs two players." She held up an old game of _Guess Who_. It had actually been Hershel's daughter who had given it to her, but the girl had told her it was Hershel's.

Carl smiled, "OK. But I have to warn you, I mastered that game when I was like 5."

Lori winked at Serena, standing up to let Carl have her seat. Rick generously pulled a box over for them to play on. Lori then took Rick's hand, leading him away from the two of them.

Serena hoped this would give Lori a chance to finally talk to her husband, like she had been suggesting all day. She turned her attention to Carl, who was busy setting up the game. He seemed 100% better than he had only days ago. She smiled at him as he started to explain the rules of the game. He was a bright young kid, and as he spoke and played with her she saw so much of her father in him, even in his personality.

She did think about how the conversation between Carl's parents was going. She had every expectation that Rick would want to do the right thing. At least she hoped.

/

Daryl sat in the passenger's seat of Patricia's truck in silence as the drove up the driveway towards Hershel's house. She had been in a somber mood since they had left her house, and he completely respected that.

She put the truck in park beside a few of the other vehicles, close to the house. It looked like the gang was back from target practice. He jumped out of the truck, pulling a few boxes out of the back.

He turned to Patricia, who was standing at the side of the truck, "Thanks again."

She waved it off, "Of course, of course." She turned and looked at the house, "I think I'll go in and started dinner, if Carol hasn't started it already." She joked, turning away from him.

Daryl sighed, feeling sorry for the woman. She was still in mourning over her husband, and she was just running from it. He turned and started towards the camp site under the cluster of trees.

As he approached he could see Serena sitting in her chair with Carl, of all people. The were laughing together as he joined them, putting the boxes down on an empty chair by the fire. He turned to them. They were playing a game, he saw now, but they stopped just as he turned to looked at them.

"Hey." She smiled up at him, "Is that the baby stuff?"

He nodded, "Yeah. It's all amazing stuff. There is more in the truck, but I'm gunna go talk to Dale first."

"About what?" She asked.

He shrugged, "I thought maybe we could use the back room of the RV when the baby comes. For the first little bit anyways." He rubbed the back of his head, "Do you think he'd be OK with that?"

Serena thought about it, "I'm not sure. But it wouldn't hurt to ask."

Carl piped in, "He'll say yes." Daryl looked down at him. Carl laughed, "It's Dale." He shrugged, leaving it at that.

Serena nodded in agreement, "Yeah, probably."

Dale nodded, "OK, well I'm gunna go talk to him."

"OK." Serena said, "Hey, put one of those boxes beside me, we will go through it and see what you got." She looked at Carl, "Wanna see the baby stuff we got?"

Carl shrugged, "OK." He didn't seem too interested, but around here you really had to take what you got. And besides, his parents still weren't back yet.

Daryl left them to their sorting, heading for the RV, where Dale was on duty on the roof. He climbed the ladder, joining him on top. Dale to look at him, a little surprised, "Oh, Daryl. God, give me a little warning, son."

Daryl let the '_son_' comment slide. The old Daryl would have said, _'I'm not your son.'_ But now Daryl wanted something from Dale, and so he would have to be nice. He shrugged, "Sorry."

"Well your here now." Dale said smiling, "Something I can do ya for?"

Daryl looked at the old man. He spoke in such a strange way that it always made Daryl laugh a little inside. Daryl nodded, "Yeah, I was hoping actually, that, uh, maybe, if you don't mind, if maybe, you could uh-"

"Daryl, spit it out." Dale stood in front of him, confused.

Daryl nodded, "I was wondering if you would let Serena and Amy have the back room of the RV for the first few weeks after she's born." Daryl asked, "I mean, just for the added safety. Plus, it will be quiet and secure. Just for a little while, you know."

Dale smiled, "Of course." He laughed, "I had never talked to Serena about it, but from day one I had always just assumed that's what she would want anyways."

Daryl smiled, relieved, "Well, that's great." He nodded, "Thank you."

Dale smiled, "Of course son, that back room is her's for as long as she needs. There will be no rush to get them out of there either."

"OK, thank you." He sighed, "Takes a little of the stress off me."

Dale put his hand on Daryl shoulder, "Hey, we are all going to be here for this baby. Don't think it's all on you. You just let us know what we can do to help, OK?"

Daryl looked over at Dale. This was one of the first positive conversations he had ever had with Dale, and here the nice guy was, offering his full support to him. He could see now the benefit of staying with more people, at least for Amy's sake. He smiled, "OK Dale, thanks."

Dale patted his back, before turning back to his look out duties. Daryl climbed back down from the post, walking back to where Serena and Carl were.

Serena was holding up one of the washable diapers that Patricia had shown him. As he approached she smiled at him, "Oh my gosh babe, this stuff is great. And some of it is so cute." She turned to Carl, who handed her a pair of knitted socks back, "Looks, little socks."

Daryl laughed, "Or thumb warmers."

"What did Dale say?" Carl asked him.

Daryl gave him a thumbs up, "All systems go." He nodded back up towards the truck, "Do you think you can help me carry some more stuff down from the truck little man?"

Carl nodded, standing up, "Yeah, these boxes aren't too heavy, I can carry them."

"Lets go put these ones in the RV first, then we'll grab the rest." He looked over at Serena as Carl grabbed one of the two boxes he had brought down and winked, "We'll be back."

She shrugged and laughed, "I'll be here."

She leaned back in the chair and watched the two guys walk away from her. She was only alone a couple of minutes before Rick and Lori made their way back to her. Lori had red eyes, though she gave Serena a smile she walked right past her, into the tent, sniffling.

Rick stopped, standing in front of Serena, looking at her. He sighed, "Thank you." He said, low.

She shrugged, "For what?"

He motioned to the tent, where Lori had just escaped to, "For talking to her. For getting her to talk to talk to me." He sighed, "Her own mind can drive her crazy, that one."

Serena sighed, "I think that we all have the potential to let that happen in a world like this." She said, "I mean, it is a lot to take on."

Rick nodded, "But we can do this. Just like you." He smiled, "Of course this means you'll have to stay."

She laughed and pointed at the chair below her, "Well I wasn't really going anywhere."

He agreed, "Yeah, but I mean, what I said to you, about finding safety on your own. Never mind that now. We are in the same predicament as you, and I think we could depend on one another."

She smiled, "I thought that even before I found out about Lori. We all need each other."

Lori came out of the tent, rubbing her eyes. She had the package of pills she had asked Glenn to fetch in her hands. She looked at the two of them, both watching her as she tossed the package into fire which was burning in front of Serena. She shut her eyes and sighed deeply, and Rick moved towards her, wrapping her up in a comforting hug.

This is exactly how they were as Shane brought his little green car to a rough halt just outside the group of trees where they were. Lori and Rick let go of one another, Lori turning away and wiping her face once more.

Andrea jumped out of the passenger's seat with a big smiled on her face, while Shane was already cornering the hood of the car, coming towards them.

"There is no way Sophia is hiding out in that housing development." Shane told Rick and he approached, "The place is crawling with walkers."

Rick looked at him, "But your alright?"

Shane brushed it off, "Yeah man, you know..."

Andrea looked at Shane, unimpressed, "He did have back up." She piped in.

Shane then noticed Lori, standing beside Rick, still noticeably upset. He froze for a minute, then stepped towards the couple, lowering his voice, "Is everything alright here?"

Rick nodded confidently, "Everything's fine, we were just having a personal conversation, that's all, it's between husband and wife."

Serena was a little alarmed at the way Rick instinctively moved his body so that he was standing between Shane and Lori. She had never seen him act this way before, especially towards Shane. She looked at Lori questionably. What else had she told him?

Shane nodded putting his arms up, "OK, fine." He turned back to Andrea, "Common, lets go put our weapons away."

Andrea nodded, following Shane away from them, towards the RV.

/

Daryl and Carl came to find Serena once they had put all the boxes in the back of the RV. Serena watched them coming towards her, Daryl shoving Carl playfully, and Carl turning and taking a swing at him in exchange. Daryl just held Carl away from him, laughing. The two of them had obviously bonded during their work, and Carl wasn't so shy of Daryl now.

Carl ran ahead of Daryl now, coming to a stop and Serena's side, "Hey. You know what kind of animal Daryl reminds me of?" Carl said, looking up at Daryl and laughing.

Serena looked up at him too, smiling, "No, what kind?"

"A gorilla." Carl made some monkey noises and laughed, pointing at Daryl.

Daryl shook his head, snickering too, "OK you brat, get out of here. Didn't I see your parent's come back?"

Carl rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I saw mom over at the picnic table with Carol."

Daryl nodded, sitting down on one of the chair beside Serena, "Good, well you better find her before I do, and tell her you're bullying me."

Carl laughed again, "Right." He joked, walking away from them, making monkey noises again as he left.

Serena laughed and looked over at Daryl, who was shaking a fist at the kids. She smiled, "Did you move all the stuff?"

He nodded, "Yeah. The kid can actually carry a good weight. I was surprised."

"Carl's is growing up." She smiled.

Daryl laughed, "Man, any kid who can take a bullet to the chest and live to talk about it, is a man in my book."

She agreed. Since Carl's accident she had seen little changes in him that showed he was maturing and growing up. It saddened her a little. He was the last little piece of innocence in camp, with Sophia gone, and even that was slipping away.

/

**Awe. OK, the Carl and Daryl bonding time? What did you think. I know a few of you were upset that Serena wasn't having a son, but now he will have his little buddy Carl, and Amy. **

**Anyways, let me know what you think.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Here another. What did you think of the last chapter. I like to think that Serena and the baby have changed Daryl enough that he is starting to come out of his shell. And I thought, who better to start this with than a kid like Carl, considering Daryl is about to become a Daddy himself. Its like Daryl is finally starting to see the benefit of forming personal relationships with the people around him, not only Serena.**

**Tell me what you think.**

/

Serena opened her eyes to the early morning sun breaking in trough the tree above her. The birds were singing lightly from the forest near by and she breathed deeply, comforted by the fact that she could sleep out side at night without fear.

She had drifted to sleep in her chair some time after dinner the night before, and this was actually the first time she had stirred since then. The night had been warm, but a light breeze had crept up, cooling her. She was covered by her sleeping bag now, which had been in her tent last time she'd seen it.

She turned, looking over at Daryl, who as asleep in the ground beside her, wrapped up in his sleeping bag, looking rather uncomfortable. She looked at him lovingly. He had spent the whole night beside her?

He rolled and looked up at her just as she thought about him. He smiled, stretching and rubbing his eyes, "Morning." He mumbled.

She yawned, "Morning."

He sat up, pushing his sleeping bag off of him, "So that chair must be comfortable, huh?"

She nodded, sitting up in it a little. It was possible to get sucked in by all the pillows he had rigged up behind her. "Were you out here all night?" She asked, concerned for how much sleep he had actually gotten. He needed rest as much as she did, after all he had narrowly escaped death on his little adventure to find Sophia.

He nodded, "Of course." He then stood up, excusing the subject, "Smells like breakfast." He said.

Serena turned, just noticing the others who were gathered around the fire quietly. Dale and Carol hung over the fire, frying up some home fries and eggs. She started salivating, she was starving. She also needed to pee, really bad. She looked at everyone, "Good Morning."

Lori and Rick were sitting closest to her, with Carl beside them on a log. Rick nodded, "Morning. We were trying not to wake you."

She shook her head, "Oh you didn't." She smiled, turning to Daryl, "I actually have to use the bathroom." She held out her hand to him, to help her up.

He used his good arm to hoist her up, and he watched her patiently as she waddled out of sight slowly into the bushes. He turned, gathering the two of them breakfast from the fire, nodding at Dale and Carol as they put a serving on each plate.

It took Serena a few minutes to return. Moving even seemed uncomfortable to her now. She plopped back down in the seat, pulling herself back into the nest of pillows. She thanked him as he handed her the breakfast, and started to feast on it.

Glenn was standing around the fire looking rather stressed as his eyes scanned from one camper to another. He fiddled with his feet and made light moaning noises.

Serena frowned as she watched him, "Glenn, is something wrong?" She finally asked him, cutting the silence around the fire.

Glenn looked at her for a moment silently. Then he finally nodded, "Uh, no." He looked over at Rick who, along with everyone else, was staring at him, waiting. "The barn is full of walkers."

Daryl dropped his fork onto his plate as everyone stared at Glenn in shock. Daryl wasn't in shock. He stood to his feet, putting his plate down in the chair, "Show us." He demanded, pointing in the direction of the barn.

Shane jumped up, "Yeah, I've gotta see this for myself."

Glenn looked over at Dale and Rick for guidance, but both of them were standing waiting for him to lead the way. He groaned, turning towards the barn, "OK, common."

Daryl turned to look at Serena, who was watching him worriedly. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, "It's alright, stay here."

She nodded up at him as he turned and followed the others down to the barn. Dale sat down beside Serena, being the only one to stay behind. She looked over at him, "Don't want to go see?"

Dale sighed, "I already have." He told her honestly. She looked at him surprised, but he just shrugged, "Glenn told me yesterday, so I went to check it out. I told him to tell everyone."

She nodded, "I see." She leaned back in the chair, "I just don't get it. What are they keeping them for?"

/

Daryl glared into the barn through a crack in the large doors. He didn't need to look to know there were walkers inside, he could hear them plain as day standing outside. One of the walkers inside had caught wind of the crew outside, and was causing quiet a ruckus. He turned to look at the others, shaking his head, "Got themselves quiet a collection in there."

Shane looked at Rick furiously, "You can not tell me you're alright with this!"

Rick shook his head, "No. No I am not, but we are guests here. This isn't our land."

"But this is our lives man." Shane screamed.

"Lower your voice." Lori scolded. Shane shut up, glaring at her.

"We not gunna sweep this under the rug." Daryl said, "It ain't right."

Shane looked at Rick, "We've either gotta go in there," he pointed at the barn, "and make things right, or we have got to go. Now, we have been talking about Fort Benning for a long time now-"

Rick cut Shane off, "We can't leave."

Shane didn't understand. He shook his head, "Why?"

Carol stepped forward, looking Shane in the eyes, "Because my daughter is still out there."

Shane actually started to laugh at Carol, who was very much serious. This only enraged Daryl, who still had every intention to find Sophia and bring her home to her mother. Shane covered his mouth, realizing how insensitive he was being, "I'm sorry, Carol, but I think it's time we consider the other possibility."

Daryl jumped in front of Carol, who was hurt by Shane, "Look, we are not leaving without Sophia. Now we are close to finding her. I found her damn doll."

Shane shook his head, "Wow, Daryl, you found a doll. That's what you did, you see, you found a doll."

Daryl just stared at Shane in disbelief, "Man, you don't know what you're talking about." He hoped to god that Carol was alright behind him. Shane was all but saying that Sophia was dead. The thought alone would be enough to break the poor woman.

Shane shrugged, "Look man, face the facts, the best leads come in the first 24 hours..." There he went, rhyming off Cop shit like it still had any relevance to real life. When Shane got into this mood, Daryl knew there was no reasoning with him. Shane laughed, "Let me tell ya something else man, if that little girl saw YOU coming, all methed out, with your hunting knife and geek ears hanging around your neck, she would run in the other direction."

Daryl jumped towards Shane, getting right in his face, "Man, you don't know me!"

"You're a racist bastard just like your brother!" Shane screamed, pushing himself forward, causing Daryl to step back.

"Screw you!" Daryl screamed back, lunging at Shane just as T-Dog grabbed him from behind, Rick grabbing Shane at the same time. Daryl struggled to free himself, as Glenn ran in front of him, pushing him back.

Shane was still trying to get at Daryl too, a crazed look in his eyes, "Yeah man, I'll kick your ass you come at me again!" He screamed, finally surrendering to Rick and turning away from Daryl all together.

Daryl stepped backwards, taking to deep, calming breath. He wasn't going to bash this guys face in. Not today. Fucking ass hole. He spread his hands out of the fists the were in, and watched at Shane stormed away from them all.

Rick sighed, hanging his head as his friend walked away in a huff. He then turned to the rest of them, still standing in front of him, "I'll talk to Hershel. This is his land, we need to respect that."

"He see's those things as people." Glenn explained, "He thinks they're sick."

"They're dead." Daryl said, "And they aught to be in the ground."

"I'll talk to Hershel." Rick said again, turning to look at Daryl directly.

Daryl nodded, turning and walking back up the hill towards camp. He wouldn't be so diplomatic about the walkers in the barn if her were in charge. No question, they need to be killed, and he would not take the time to talk to anyone about it.

/

Serena could tell that something had happened down at the barn. Shane had returned to camp a few minutes ago, grumbling to himself as he completely ignored her and went into his tent. She had also heard shouting, which made her worry.

Daryl and the others finally filed back into the camp with blank faces on. Daryl stormed through camp to her side, where he plopped himself, "There are walkers in the barn." He confirmed.

She looked at him, waiting for him to explain what had happened, but her didn't add anything. He sat beside her for only a few moments, until Shane came back out of his tent, at which time Daryl stood up, "I'm have to go back out looking for Sophia." He said.

Serena shook her head, "I don't think you should go back out again yet." She pointed at his arm, "Hershel said you need rest."

He rolled his eyes in frustration looking over at Shane, who was watching them smugly, "Look, every day I spend here resting, is another day Sophia is lost and alone out there. I can't wait."

She didn't budge, "You shouldn't." She told him.

He shrugged, defying her, "I'll take it easy." He said, turning and starting to walk away.

"Daryl." Serena called after him, upset. At this, everyone else in camp seemed to stop what they were doing to turn and watch. He stopped, turning to look at her. She begged, "I'm asking you not to go."

He looked at her, her eyes full of worry. He knew he shouldn't push himself, but this morning Shane had proven that people still see him the same way they always had, and he still had to work at changing that. He shook his head, "I'm going to find Sophia." He insisted matter-of-factly.

Serena's heart dropped and she turned her head away from him, not caring to watch him walk away. Something had happened down at that barn, and he found a sudden urgency to find that little girl. Serena started to sob quietly, putting her hands to her face. The last time he had gotten on a horse and gone out looking for this girl, he had come back bruised and battered and Andrea had shot him. And on top of that she started false labour. She feared what could happen this time.

Carol walked over to her, still crying. Serena looked up at the woman, "He's going to look for Sophia." She told her.

Carol's mouth dropped, "He's not well enough."

Serena let out a laugh, "Go tell him that."

Carol nodded, putting an hand down and placing it on top of Serena's, "I'll go talk to him, try and stop him." She turned, running towards the shed when Hershel kept the horses.

Part of Serena hoped at Carol could convince Daryl to stay in, but at the same time, if Serena couldn't stop him, what were the chances. She took several deep breaths, trying to release the stress she could feel building up.

There are walkers in the barn. She isn't allowed to move. And now Daryl has decided to go risk his life, again. If Hershel thought she was going to be zen for the rest of this pregnancy, then he really was delusional.

/

**That's that. And just when Shane and Daryl were starting to get along. I think that there will always be a divide between the two of them, which always has a possibility for some good drama.**

**Anyways, let me know what you think.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys. We are in April now, which means we are so close to the end of this extremely long hiatus that TWD had been on. Its so close I may choose to be evil and leave my story with a little cliff hanger when I get to the end of writing this episode, but don't worry, that probably won't be until the next chapter or 2. Anyways, read and review!**

**I own nothing.**

/

Daryl dragged the horse saddle into the barn with him, throwing it onto a saddle rest. His arm still bothered him, and he had some trouble with it. He looked at both horses, one on either side. On one side, Nervous Nelly – no way. He looked at the other horse and shrugged, hopefully this one was better suited for him.

He opened the door to the horses stall as Carol came into the barn looking for him, "You can't." She called to him as she came towards him.

He looked at her, rolling his eyes. He grabbed the halter for the horse, "I'm fine." He told her, same as he had told Serena.

"Hershel say's you need to rest." She told him, as he put the halter over the horse head and started to comb out it's mane.

He looked at her, she sincerely looked concerned. But he wasn't a bum, he wasn't about to sit in camp and do nothing. He needed to prove his worth to people, even more then the others. He shook his head, "I don't care."

She smiled at him, "Serena does." He stopped and looked at her. She shrugged, "I do." She added.

He shook his head, "I ain't gunna sit around and do nothing."

"No, you're gunna go out and get yourself hurt even worse." She scolded. He ignored her, turning back to the horse, starting to brush out it's coat. He knew he was pushing with his arm, but this was a little girls life they were talking about. Carol was still standing behind him, "We don't know if we're gunna find her, Daryl." She finally said. He stopped, turning to look at her, trying not to judge her, "We don't." She insisted.

He shook his head, almost in disbelief, "What?"

She crossed her arms, her eyes starting to tear up, "I don't." She added, looking at him. She sniffled, "I just ..."

He stopped, stepping towards her. Carol was such an emotional person, but when it came to expressing her feelings, she was scared. All those years of dealing with Ed's abuse had left her with lots of insecurities. "What?" He asked her again.

"I can't loose you too." She finally said, shaking her head.

He winced. How was he supposed to go out now? He shook his head, dropping the brush he had in his hand on the floor beside her. These women in his life, they always seemed to find a way to manipulate him in some way.

Carol know how important finding Sophia is to him. Same with Serena. Yet they were both try to force him to stay by getting emotional. He looked at the woman in front of him in frustration. She was being stupid. He turned to the saddle, shoving it to the floor. He grasped his side as he did so, feeling the pain right where he'd gotten stitches.

"Are you OK?" Carol asked, running to his ride.

"Get away from me." He snarled, running away from her.

As he ran out of the stable he heard her call after him, "We care about you Daryl."

He laughed, slowing his run when he realized she wasn't casing him. He took a few deep breaths. He thought about what Carol had said, about people caring about him. The only person who had ever seemed to care about him had been Merle, and even he treated him like shit. Relationships were never something Daryl had, with anyone, especially any women.

But he had other people to consider now. He couldn't go gallivanting all over the place anymore, and he just had to get over it. He was more mad at himself then anyone. He loved Serena, and he had chosen this life with her, and these people, but now he was starting to miss his independence just a little bit.

/

Andrea walked towards Serena slowly, still cautious, but hopeful. Serena looked up from the book she was reading when she sensed she was being watched, glaring up at her. She smiled, waving awkwardly, "Hey." She said.

Serena sighed, it was about time she got over Andrea little fuck up, but she was still having trouble with it. She nodded at the seat beside her for her to sit, "Hey."

Andrea sat, looking at her friend, "How you feeling?" She asked.

Serena shrugged, "A bit antsy, I guess." She sat up in her seat a little.

Andrea sighed, looking down at the ground, "Look, Serena, I know I screwed up with my little stunt the other day. But I'm so sorry. And it won't happen again." She looked over at Serena, "I miss my friend." She pleaded.

She smiled, "I know. It's OK." She hugged Andrea, forgiving her. After all, Daryl wasn't dead.

Andrea let go of her, looking rather excited, "OK, well I am going down to the barn to meet up with Shane. He wants a watch set up down there."

Serena looked at her, confused, "I see, and why is that so exciting?" She questioned.

Andrea looked at Serena, blushing. She groaned, "Well, Shane and I ..." She trailed off.

"'Shane and I'? Is there such a thing?" Serena looked at Andrea, slightly entertained at the thought.

Andrea laughed, "We hooked up." She told her friend, "Once." She added.

Serena smiled, "That a girl." And good for Shane, she thought, hoping this meant he is on his way to getting over Lori.

Andrea shrugged, "Yeah, well, like I said, I'm grabbing our weapons and heading down there."

Serena waved her away, "Well then, go. Go to your man." She smiled, "I'll be here."

Andrea rolled her eyes, "Will you just shut up." She asked her, as she started to walk away.

Serena winked at the blonde. The last thing she or Shane needed was this little thing of theirs going public.

/

Rick made his way back into camp, find his way to the seat beside Serena. He was silent, taking a seat beside her. He sighed, looking down at his feet. "I told Shane." He finally said.

Serena looked over at him, "About the baby?" She asked.

He nodded, "Yeah."

Serena let out a loud sigh. She looked at him, "Why?"

Rick nodded, "He is pushing for us to leave. I didn't think it would be right to lie about why I'm pushing to stay. My wife's safety is number one."

Serena nodded, "How did he seem?"

Rick shrugged, "He is shocked." He laughed, "He actually congratulated me."

Serena nodded. Typical Shane. She has no doubt that Shane thinks that baby is his, but he still doesn't want to hurt Rick.

Rick looked over at Serena, "I know about Shane and Lori." He told her. Serena looked at him, wide eyed, "Lori told me you know." He added.

"Lori told you about the two of them?" She asked him, surprised.

He nodded, "I had suspected," he added, "but she did intimately tell me."

Serena looked at him with a sorry look, "It doesn't change anything, Rick. That baby, you are gunna be it's dad."

Rick shook his head, "I know, I know, I'm not worried about that. It's just, Shane ..." He paused, staring off into the field in front of him, "I think Shane is in love with her."

Serena didn't know what to say. She could lie and tell him no, but what good would that do? The evidence is in the way that Shane would look at Lori from time to time. She just gulped. She finally shrugged, "It doesn't matter Rick. Lori loves you. Always did, always will."

Rick nodded, but she could tell that the thought of Shane having feelings for his wife worried him.

Daryl huffed back into camp, walking right past Serena towards their, "I'm not going out." He told, "Happy?"

She was, but she tried not to show it. In fact, she chose not to respond at all to his little remark, he was obviously not in the best of moods. Rick looked at him, "I'm going to go out with Andrea and look along the trail that runs along the river."

Daryl nodded, "At least that's something." He said, before turning and entering the tent, closing the door behind him.

Carol walked into camp slowly, looking over at Serena and smiling. Serena wasn't sure what the woman had said to make Daryl stay, but she was just thankful that she was able to.

/

"God damn it!" Serena heard Shane calling before she saw him come into view. He was red faced, looking rather upset when he saw her, "You seen the old man?" Shane asked gruffly.

Serena frowned, "Dale?"

"Dale? Yes Dale. Who else is an old man?" He was pissed off, and definitely not acting himself.

Serena frowned, "I thought I saw him heading around the other side of the house." She told him.

Shane nodded, "And he wasn't, by any chance, carrying a big black bag with him, was he?"

Serena thought about it. He might of, but to be honest she couldn't remember. It was Dale, why should she have been keeping tabs on him? She shrugged, "Maybe."

Shane rolled his eyes, "You know, while you're sitting here doing nothing, do you think you could try and keep a look out?" Shane sniped at Serena.

Serena's mouth dropped. Shane's words stung. "Shane." Daryl's angry voice emerged from the tent only a few yards away. He opened the door, stepping out. Shane stepped back from Serena now, realizing that Daryl had been in the tent the whole time, and probably heard what he had just said. Daryl shook his head, "Why don't you screw off, and when you find some respect you can come back and apologize." Daryl told him, stepping towards Serena.

Shane groaned, making a face, "Whatever man." He turned, walking away, before he was tempted to work Daryl up even more. As he walked away he scanned his surroundings for any sign of Dale.

Serena watched him as he left. Who had that man just been, because it sure the hell wasn't Shane. She sighed at looked up at Daryl, who was still standing beside her, watching Shane as he disappeared from sight.

She reached her hand up, grabbing his, pulling him down so that he was sitting right beside her. He squeezed her hand, before lifting it to his mouth and kissing the back of it.

They sat together silently, like they used to in the first few weeks after having met. They always seemed so comfortable with each others silences. Serena felt herself starting to feel more at ease as she sat beside him, he worries for the people around her starting to fade. No matter what, she could always depend on him to take her hand and pull her back to reality. In the end, the two and Amy is what's important.

/

**Uh, Shane. I love him, but in this episode it is so hard. I'm still on the fence on whether or not I want him to die in the TV series though. I kind of like him sticking around to stir up drama. Plus, even though they are both screwed up I ship Andrea/Shane. They are just sinful.**

**Anyways, what did you think of my chappy? Review all!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys, so sorry about my own little hiatus there, but believe me, it was worth the wait. How did we all like _Nebraska_? I was so psyched. Anyways, here is a little treat for you, enjoy.**

**I own nothing, sadly, except Serena.**

/

Serena's eyes shot open at the sound of Shane's screams. She looked around. She was alone in camp, but she could hear Shane yelling not too far away. She sat up looking around worried. She had only drifted off for a few minutes, what in the hell was going on?

"What in the hell are you doin'?" Shane screamed from down in the field, over by the barn.

Serena couldn't contain herself, she stood up slowly, hoisting herself out of the comforting seat she was buried down in. She moved around the the Grime's tent, bringing the field into view.

"What the hell?" Shane screamed again.

Serena stood watching Shane run down the dirty path towards Rick, Hershel, and Jimmy, who were dragging two walkers out of the woods. Serena's mouth dropped. Hershel had used two animal poles to catch the two walkers, who were still up and moving. He and Rick were now guiding the two monster's across the field towards the barn. Behind Shane ran everyone else, some armed. Serena could see Daryl, close behind Shane with a gun in his hand. Serena's heart jumped, she could not see this going well. She started walking toward the group as quick as she could, hoping to seek reason with either Shane or Daryl.

"Get back Shane!" Rick warned, holding into the walker to keep it from the others, who were gathering around it, watching in shock.

"Are you kidding me! Are you kidding me!" Shane screamed, circling around Rick and Hershel with anger.

"Shane!" Serena called, picking up her pace into a slow trot. She just couldn't seem to reach them fast enough. No one heard her. They didn't even notice her coming towards them uncomfortably.

"You see!" Shane said to the group, "You see what they're holding on to?"

Hershel looked around, shaking his head, "I see WHO I'm holding on to."

"Jesus Shane, let us do this, then we can talk." Rick told his friend.

"What you want to talk talk about Rick?" Shane was shaking with anger, "It's easy! They're not human! They're not even close. All they do, they kill!" He turned and pointed at Andrea, "They killed Amy!" Andrea's mouth dropped, aghast. Shane was on a roll at this point, and he wasn't stopping to consider anyone else, "They killed Otis!" He said, looking over at Patrica, "They're gunna kill all of us if we don't do something!" He screamed.

Amy stirred inside of Serena. She could tell her mother was anxious and moving around. Serena tried to reach Shane again, "Shane!" She called. She hadn't walked in a while, and she had to slow down and catch her breath. Shane was still on his rant, yelling at everyone around him. Serena sighed, "Daryl!" She screamed, hoping to get someone's attention.

As if he were a mind reader, Daryl turned from watching the spectacle that Shane was making of himself to look back at her. His eyes got wide, seeing her up and red faced, coming towards him. He turned, racing towards her worried, "What are you doing?" He said as he reached her, putting arm around her, taking some of her weight.

"What are you doing?" She asked, pointing down at his gun. The two of them continued to walk down the hill towards the rest of the group. 

He shook his head, "Shane gave it to me. We have to take care of the barn situation."

She looked at Hershel, who was glaring at Shane with a sick look. She sighed, "That doesn't look like it's going to happen."

"Honestly man, does a living, breathing person ..." Shane looked over at the walker that Hershel was holding, "can it do this?" And then, almost without warning, Shane pulled his pistol out of his belt and blew three holes into the chest of the walker.

Serena and Daryl both stopped in their footsteps. They stared in horror as Shane glared at Hershel, full of furry. Honestly, Serena was scared of Shane at this moment. He had a look in his eyes that she had never seen, and even from a little bit of a distance she could tell that the man that she cared so much for was slipping away.

"That's three rounds in the chest. Now someone whose alive, could they just take that?" Shane asked a distraught Hershel, who was staring at the walker in front of him in disbelief. Shane lifted his gun again, shooting two more rounds into the still snarling walker. He shook his head, "That's it's heart. It's lungs. Why is it still coming?" He asked, shooting the monster a few more times to make his point.

Daryl's grip on Serena tightened, as they started walking down toward the group again. He could sense that things were about to get worse, and he wanted to get down there. Serena shook her head, "Shane!" She called. Andrea and Glenn both turned their heads to look at Serena in worry. She knew now that she could at least be heard, "Shane! Enough!"

Shane stopped shooting for a moment, dropping his arm and turning his head to look over at her. He shook his head, "Yeah your right." He moved towards the walker, "That is enough." He lifted the gun to the walker's head, unloading another bullet into it's head. The monster went limp, dropping to the ground, finally lifeless.

Serena put her hand to her chest in shock. Hershel dropped to his knees, looking at the walker who he had once known. Shane didn't stop there, "Enough!" He looked over at her, eyes wide with furry, "Enough looking for a little girl that's dead!" He looked at Carol for a moment, then shot his head back over at Rick, "Enough living next to a barn full of things that are tryin' to kill us!" He shook his head, "Enough! It ain't like it was before, and if you want to live, if you want to survive, then you've got to fight. Right here, right now."

Everyone else stood staring at Shane speechless. No one made a move to stop him, or clam him down. No one knew what to do. No one had ever seen Shane like this, and he seemed dangerous. He turned towards the barn, running for the door.

Serena shut her eyes, giving up hope that she could get through to him. Rick started to panic, seeing his friend in such an unstable state was not something Rick had seen before, "Hershel, come hold this!" He called to him, "Hershel!" Hershel knelt, glassy eyed on the ground, not responding at all. Rick turned to look at Shane, who had picked up a pick axe, "Shane, don't do this!"

Daryl looked over at Andrea, "Help me." He said, nodding at Serena. Andrea joined him on the other side of her, holding her weight. They started moving back away from the barn, "Shane's loosing it." Daryl said quietly to the two women, "I just want you back from the danger." He told Serena.

Standing back was Lori and Carl as well. Lori had her arms wrapped around her son tightly. Daryl looked over at her and Carl, "Stay with them." He told Serena, "Carl?"

Carl looked over at Daryl, "Yeah?"

"Can you watch out for Serena for me buddy?" He looked over at the young boy.

Carl, wearing his father's sheriff's hat, nodded courageously, "Of course."

Daryl let go of Serena, winking at Carl before running back to the front of the group, closest to the barn, with Andrea on his tail. Serena took a deep breath and turned to looked back at Shane, who was bashing away at the lock on the barn. She looked at at Lori, who was clearly afraid too. She reached over and took the woman's free hand. The two of them knew Shane better than anyone, and here they were watching him loose control in a way neither of them either expected. It was terrifying in a whole different way for the two of them. Serena put her other hand down on her bulging stomach. Amy was kicking, hard.

Shane knocked the lock off, banging on the door to rile the walkers inside up, "Here we go!" He stepped back from the door, "Common'!" He screamed, raising his pistol in anticipation.

A great big walker pushed open the barn, snarling and looking around. As far as it was concerned, he had walked out on a feast. Behind him more walkers started to stumble out, one after another. Shane took the first few shots himself, the others still unsure on whether to follow Shane or not. Andrea raised her gun finally, as more walker still came out of the barn. It seem that Otis had work up quiet a collection before he had died.

Daryl followed the others as one by one the people in the group raised their own weapons and started to bring down the walkers. The walkers would barely make it out of the barn before someone would slaughter it with a bullet to the brain.

Serena and Lori looked over at each other for a moment. These were the scenes that Lori never wanted Carl to see. And for Serena, she felt the same way for Amy. She never wanted her little girl to see such a massacre, and yet she knew it was a huge possibility. "Dad!" Carl called, worried for Rick.

Rick turned to look at hi son, still holding and angry, snarling walker that they had dragged out of the woods. He putt an hand out, "Stay there." He called to them.

Shane then stopped shooting the walkers from the barn, turning to look at Rick and the walker he was holding. He gave his friend a look of disgust before shooting the walker in the head.

Maggie leaned down, putting a hand on her father's shoulder. He was crying and shaking his head, watching as the group slaughtered his wife, and friends.

And then, for a moment, a silence fell over them. The last walker dropped to the ground and everyone stood where they were, unsure. Serena sighed and dropped her head. The pile of bodies outside of the barn was huge, and each one of those bodies had been someone, once.

A low growl escaped from within the barn. Everyone stepped back a little, preparing themselves again. The moaning grew louder as the walker made its way into the doorway of the barn. Standing in front of the survivors was Sophia, still wearing her blue rainbow shirt, with blood dried on her neck, and a blank whiteness in her eyes. She stumbled out of the barn, rubbing her eyes from the light, like she would if she were still a little girl. Then, she turned and looked up at them, her dead, grey face scanning from one person to the next.

"Oh no." Carol said, stepping forward, "Oh god." She said to herself, realizing who she was looking at. Her little girl was gone, just like Shane had said, and now it was someone's job to deal with her. "Sophia! Sophia!" She tried to run to her daughter. She wanted to hold her, on last time.

She ran past Daryl, who reached his arms out, grabbing her around the waist. Carol tried to free herself, with little success. Finally she collapsed to the ground, moaning in pain, Daryl's arms still wrapped around her holding her back.

Beside Serena, Carl called out in misery, "No!" He collapsed too, his mom dropping to the ground with him. The boy cried, letting his tears fall into his hands.

Serena suddenly felt very weak. Her head spun and she thought she might be sick. She wrapped both her arms around her stomach, hugging her own little girl tightly while she kicked forcefully inside. She finally let her tears fall.

Slowly Sophia walked towards them, growling and snapping her teeth. Everyone just watched in horror. No one had the heart to put a bullet in her head. Lori grabbed her son's head, "Don't look." She rocked him back and forth.

Serena thought she might be sick. They all knew what had to be done, and soon. But this was Sophia. Rick put his head down, sighing. So far, he hadn't unloaded a single bullet from his gun today, and yet he felt the responsibility to take care of Sophia. He stepped forward, ahead of Shane, Daryl, Andrea and the others, almost placing the gun right on Sophia's forehead. He froze a moment, thinking about what he was about to do. He took another deep breath, and then pulled the trigger of his gun, putting an end to Sophia's suffering.

Serena took a step back, trying to control her emotions. She was upset, Sophia was dead. She was worried, Carol had just lost her daughter, and finding Sophia had meant a lot to Daryl. And, she was pissed off, this was all Shane's doing, and now he didn't even have the balls to step up and put a bullet in Sophia's head himself.

Her hands clenched in anger and breathed heavily. She felt very strange. Her stomach rumbled, more then if Amy were kicking. Then, a weird sensation came over her, like she had just peed herself. Her eyes got wide and she looked down at her pants, which were wet around her crotch. She slowly lowered herself to the ground, looking over at Lori, who was rocking her son back and forth in her arms. Serena felt the peeing sensation again, and she could tell she was leaking. She groaned, adjusting her seat. This could not be good.

Dale suddenly appeared behind her, having stood back from the group to watch the chain of events that had just happened. He looked down at her, "You OK?" He asked, watching her as she rubbed her belly.

She shook her head, but didn't know what to say. It was kind of embarrassing, and she didn't really know what was happening. She looked down at her wet pants, pointing at them, "Something's going on."

Dale's eyes widened, turning in Daryl's direction. Daryl was lifting Carol to her feet, the poor women unable to stand on her own. Dale cleared his throat, "Daryl!" He called, "You better get over here son."

Daryl put his arm around Carol, leading her away from Sophia's motionless body, "Don't look. Don't look." He told her. She pushed him off of her, running away from him, up towards the camp, away from everyone.

Daryl looked over at Dale, for the first time noticing that he was standing over Serena, "What's wrong?" He ran over to them.

Serena shook her head. She wasn't in any pain, she just felt strange, "I don't know." She told him honestly.

Daryl looked down at Serena. The top of her pants were went, like someone had spilt water in her lap. He frowned, "Is that from you?" He asked, pointing down.

Serena nodded shyly. She wasn't sure if she had actually peed herself or not, but she was still embarrassed. Lori let go of Carl, scotching over to see. When she saw the liquid in Serena's lap her mouth dropped, "Oh my god, your water broke."

/

**Ahh, it's about time, don't you think. This is the reason I had to wait until Ep. 8 came out, because I didn't know if having Serena go into labour would work along with the series. But it all worked out. Just wait for the next chapter!**

**Comment.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello everyone! Its taken a few episodes for me to figure out where my story is going, in accordance with the TV Series, because I like to follow as best I can. I think I have a few ideas now though, so don't worry. Here's another update for ya, enjoy.**

**I own nothing :(**

/

"Hershel! Hershel!" Daryl called, snapping his fingers in the man's face. Hershel was still on his knee's staring at the collection of dead bodies in front of him. His eyes were blank and glazed over, and Daryl was getting no reaction at all from the suffering man.

Daryl stopped for a moment, groaning and looking back across the field at Serena, who was being helped to the RV by Andrea and Lori. The three women were moving at a very slow pace for the severity of the situation. He looked back at Hershel. If he couldn't get this guy to snap out of it, then he was going to be of no help at all. "Hershel!"

Shane appeared beside Daryl, pushing him out of the way. Shane was still pissed off, and seemed completely unaware of what was happening with Serena. He pushed Hershel, causing the man to fall backwards onto the ground. He looked up at Shane, stunned. Shane pointed at him with anger, "We've been out, combing these wood for that little girl, and she was here all along?"

Daryl put his hand on Shane's shoulder, "Another time, man."

Shane brushed Daryl's hand off him, turning to look at him, "Another time? You were the most naive of them all, out there on horse back, thinkin' you were gunna ride in and save that little girl. Don't you care?"

Daryl shook his head, "I care, OK, but we can do this later."

Shane just laughed, "Screw you Daryl, I'm doing it now."

Shane turned away from him, and so Daryl grabbed his shoulder again, "NO you're not."

Before Daryl could react next, Shane spun around on his heels bringing his elbow up and smacking Daryl square across the jaw. Daryl stepped back, dazed for a moment. He then took a deep breath, and looked up at Shane. Shane shook his head, "I warned you man. But you just love asking for it."

Shane moved towards Daryl as Daryl lunged at Shane. Daryl leaned down, his shoulder connecting with Shane's ribs, knocking him to the ground in a football-like tackle. Shane instinctively brought his arms down, locking Daryl in a headlock under his armpit.

Daryl's head was stuck staring at the ground while he struggled to get up. All he could do was swing his arms wildly and hope his fists connected with something good. He could hear Rick screaming at Shane from somewhere around them, "Shane you fucking ass hole, let me go!" Daryl screamed. He punched at Shane again, connecting with his kidney.

Shane jumped in pain, releasing Daryl. Daryl pulled his head up and pushed Shane down onto the ground, taking the upper hand. He knew he would hear about this later, but he was gunna take the opportunity while he had it. He wound up and took a big swing at Shane's face, connecting with his lip and jaw. Shane's head flopped around, stunned as Daryl wound up again. Fucking ass hole deserved every second of this.

"Daryl!" Rick screamed, grabbing his fist and pulling him off Shane before he was able to take another swing. Rick pushed Daryl away from Shane, who was still on the ground, wiping his lip.

Daryl put his hands up in surrender, "I'm done, I'm done." He promised Rick, walking away from him.

Rick shook his head, "Jesus."

Daryl turned to see T-Dog and Glenn, just standing staring at him. Daryl knew the look they were giving him. In a matter of seconds he had gone back to being the same old Daryl that he used to be.

He just shrugged at them and turned back to Hershel, or at least the spot where he had just been, "Where's Hershel?"

Glenn pointed in the direction of the house, "He took off as soon at you and Shane started. Went up to the house."

Daryl shook his head, "Great!" He started up towards the house.

/

Lori stood at the top of the steps at the door of the RV, helping Serena up into the vehicle. Every step seemed to take 10 minutes, but as she had told Serena already, 'slow and steady'. Serena seemed the most relaxed of the three women. Andrea was behind Serena, pushing her from the back.

Serena smiled, "I'm fine guys. I'm telling ya, I don't think I'm in labour."

Lori shook her head, "You might not be yet, but I'm telling you, it's coming."

Serena stepped up again, reaching the last step. She shrugged, "Maybe I am."

Lori laughed as they shuffled along the RV towards the back room, "Believe me, you will know when you are."

Serena nodded, "You're the exper-yeeeAAAHHHH!" Serena stopped in her tracks as a sharp pain shot up her back, spreading across her stomach like electricity. She bent over in pain, holding her stomach. The pain lasted only a few second, but it was long enough.

Around her, Andrea and Lori were frozen in silence. No one in the RV moved, or even breathed until Serena finally did again. She took a deep breath and stood up straight. Lori said nothing as she looked the poor girl in the face. She just smirked and shrugged, she had told her.

Lori then looked back at Andrea, who was standing behind Serena with he mouth hanging open just staring at her friend, "Andrea," Lori said, snapping her out of it, "that was a contraction. You should start timing how long between them."

Andrea gulped, then nodded, "Right." She looked down at her wrist watch.

Serena looked at Andrea, who seemed flustered, "Hey," Andrea stopped, looking back up at her, "you OK?"

Andrea cleared her throat, "Yeah, I'm good."

Serena smiled and grabbed Andrea's hand, "Good."

Carol suddenly appeared in the doorway to the backroom where she had been, "Is everything alright?" She wiped her red eyes and sniffled a little bit.

"Oh, Carol," Lori smiled sympatheticly, "Well, no actually." She motioned to Serena.

Carol's mouthed dropped, "Oh my gosh." She reached out for Serena's free hand, "You're in labour."

Serena nodded, moving towards Carol. She let go of Andrea for a moment, wrapping both arms around Carol, "Carol, I'm so sorry."

Carol shook her head, moving back from Serena's embrace, "It's alright." She looked down at Serena's stomach, placing her hand on it for a moment, "It's ... a miracle." A few tears fell from her eyes before she reached up and wiped them away, "Anyways, here, here." She stepped out of the way, so the women could move around her, helping Serena into the back bedroom of the RV.

/

Daryl opened the back door to the farmhouse with might, still a bit worked up from his run in with Shane, and a bit angry that he had to chase Hershel up here. "Hershel!" He called. The house returned no answer. In fact, the house seemed empty. Daryl stood in the hallway for a moment, listening.

From out in the front of the house Daryl heard an old truck motor start. "No!" He called, running through the house to the screen door at the front. Through it he could see Otis' truck starting to pull away from it's parking spot by the tree, "No!" He screamed again, hoping Hershel would listen.

They blue truck started to chug down the drive way. Daryl ran through the front door and out along the driveway, following the old man on foot waving his arms like a mad man. Hershel didn't even look back as the truck sped up, not even bothering to slow down as it turned at the end of the drive out onto the road, heading towards town. Daryl stopped, huffing for breath. Damn it. They needed Hershel.

/

Daryl was rummaging through some things that Hershel had pulled out on his bed when Maggie found him, "What in the hell?" She grabbed the shirt Daryl had in his hands, "What are you doin' in here?" She glared, "Where's Daddy?"

Daryl shrugged, "I was hoping you could tell me where he might have gone."

She looked at him, concerned, "He's not here?"

"Left about 10 minutes ago in Otis' truck. Headed in the direction of town." He told her, "Any ideas?"

Maggie frowned with worry and she looked down at the items strewn out across her father's bed. She zeroed in on an old flask, picking it up. She sighed and shook her head.

"What?" Daryl asked, "Your old man a drinker?"

She frowned, "No. At least not since I was born."

"But he used to drink," Daryl pointed at the flask, "where would he go?"

"Hatland's," She told him, "the only bar in town."

Daryl nodded, "OK." He walked out of the bedroom, towards the back door. He would have to check on Serena before he left, and hope she could hold out until he returned.

/

Daryl heard Serena's scream before he reached the RV. He hurried inside, making his way to the back room, her calls having subsided, "Serena! Baby!" He stepped around Lori and Andrea, who were packed into the small room, he managed to squeeze in beside the bed where Serena was resting.

A look of relief rushed over her as he came into view, "Daryl?" She reached out for his hand, "Thank god."

Daryl knelt down beside the bed, kissing her hand, "I'm here." He looked up at Lori, "How we doin'?"

She shrugged, "We're moving slowly. That was only her second contraction."

He nodded, "Good."

Lori crossed her arms, "Why? Where's Hershel?"

Daryl shrugged, "Uh, He's M.I.A. right now."

"What?" Serena screamed, looking over at him worried.

Daryl put one hand up and put it on Serena's forehead, "Don't worry, I'm going to go get him." He promised.

She shook her head, but said nothing. What was she going to do? She nodded, "Hurry."

Daryl nodded, standing up. He leaned in and kissed Serena, "I love you." He whispered. He then turned to look at Lori, "How much time do you think I have?"

Lori looked at him for a moment, then started to laugh, "I have no idea. A baby comes when it's ready, no sooner, no later."

Daryl groaned, "Can't you give me an idea?"

Lori shrugged, "Her contractions are a more than 20 minute apart still, I'd say you've got a few hours, at least."

Daryl nodded, looking back at Serena. He hated seeing her so uncomfortable. But he had to find Hershel, before things got worse.

/

Daryl made his way down to the barn, where Rick, T-Dog, Glenn and Jimmy were sorting the dead. If he was about to go running into town to get Hershel, he should probably let them know where he was going.

Rick looked at him as he got close, "Hey," He pointed up at the RV, "Everything good up there?"

Daryl shrugged, "For now." He rubbed the back to his head, "But Hershel's missing."

Rick froze, looking at him, "Missing? But Serena is going to need him."

Daryl nodded, "He's gone to the bar in town. I'm gunna go get him."

Rick nodded, "I'll come with you." He told Daryl, stepping forward.

Daryl shook his head, "It's alright."

"No," Rick said, "you never know when you might need back up."

Daryl looked at Rick. They didn't know each other very well, and the man had left his brother for dead, but Rick was alright in his book. Daryl nodded, "Well alright then."

/

**So there yo go, another chapter, with a little Daryl vs. Shane action. It had to happen, and it really wasn't as bad as I had initially planned. But you can almost guarantee this isn't the end between those two.**

**What did you guys think? Comment!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Back again, with another chapter for you. Still on a build up to the birth, but its getting close, and I still haven't decided how exactly that's going to go, or even who will be there. Anyways, enjoy.**

**I own nothing, except Serena.**

/

Daryl flew down the country road in Rick Grime's old SUV, both hands clenched tightly on the wheel. He had insisted on driving, much to Rick dismay. But Rick knew better then to go up against an already anxious and irritable Daryl Dixon.

As Daryl stared ahead of him Rick surveyed their surroundings. It was mostly fields upon more fields, with the woods Daryl had been search through the past few days off in the back ground. Occasionally an old farm house would come into view, but Daryl was on the lookout for that old blue truck of Otis', and right now nothing else mattered.

Finally Rick cleared his throat, breaking the silence, "I'm glade you and Serena decided to stay with us, Daryl."

Daryl looked over at him a moment, not sure at first if Rick was being genuine, "Uh, yeah well," he chuckled a little, "I got shot and she had to go on bed rest, so we didn't really have a choice."

Rick looked down, "Well all the same, I'm glade it all worked out."

He was being sincere, Daryl realized. In most cases Daryl had just assumed everyone was just happy he hadn't taken Serena away for them, but it had never occurred to him that his presence would be missed at all. He smiled for a moment, "Yeah, we are too." It was as awkward coming out as it had sounded. He took one hand off the wheel, rubbing the back of his head a moment as the two men fell back into an awkward silence.

/

The horrid smell of burning flesh filled the air in camp. There was hardly a breeze, and yet enough of one to carry the smoke from the fire of bodies collected from the barn massacre right up into their living area. It also crept into the RV.

Lori looked like she might be sick as she and Andrea stood inside the small room beside Serena's bed. The smell of rotted human flesh burning had to be ten times worse for a women that is pregnant the meat cooking, any day.

Serena looked up at her sympathetically, "Lori, if you want to go outside for some fresh air, I'll be OK in here with Andrea for a bit." She put her hand down on her stomach, she was starting to feel more tightening and movement on a ongoing basis, asides from her heavy contractions. She knew things were moving along.

Lori looked at her, "Yeah, uh, thanks," she put one hand up, covering her mouth, "I'll just be a little bit." She turned and walked away along the RV.

"Take your time." Serena called after her. She looked down at her stomach, another contraction hitting her. She shut her eyed and clenched her teeth, her hands balling into fists. She suffered the pain silently for the few moments that it lasted.

Once the pain subsided she took three deep breaths and looked over at Andrea, whose eyes were darting between Serena and the watch on her wrist. "They are lasting longer," Serena said, breathing heavily.

Andrea nodded, "And they are getting closer together." She looked at her watch again, "Twelve minutes between the last two."

Serena shook her head and looked down at her belly, "Hey little Amy," She said, "you take your time too." She looked back at Andrea.

Andrea, who shook her head and look out the window of the RV, "Where the hell is Daryl?" She whispered.

Serena shut her eyes, putting her head back, "Andrea," She said calmly, "have faith. He'll be here."

Andrea shook her head again. Her friend had such confidence, but the two of them had the same amount of experience with childbirth – none, so if that knight in shining armour of her's didn't get back soon, they could be in big trouble.

/

Daryl brought the car to a stop outside of Hatland's, an old-time rustic bar. As he jumped out of the truck he had a horrid flash back of dragging his brother out of a bar all too similar to this one. He shook it off, he was on a mission. Otis' blue truck was parked right outside the bar, just as Maggie had suspected.

Rick jumped out of the car, putting a hand up, stopping Daryl before he barged into the bar with anger. "Why don't you let me take the lead? I'll talk to him."

Daryl looked at Rick with hesitation. He wasn't here to have a sit down, or have a cit chat with this guy, he was here to bring him back. But he knew he could be a little forceful at times, where as people seemed to like Rick, and do what he wanted. Daryl finally nodded, "Fine, but you got 10 minutes, tops. Then I'm draggin' him out of there, and you ain't stopping me."

Rick shrugged, that was as good as it was going to get with Daryl. "Fine." Rick lift his gun, stepping towards the door of the bar.

/

Andrea opened the door to the RV and stepped out into the fresh air. It was getting hot inside there. She wiped her forehead and looked around.

Lori was seated at the fire pit with Carl, but she jumped to her feet when she saw Andrea emerge, "What? Is everything alright?"

Andrea nodded, coming towards her, "Yeah, but her contractions are 10 minutes apart now. And they are lasting longer." She shook her head, "If Daryl doesn't hurry up, its going to be too late."

Lori nodded, looked back at Carl. Everyone else was down at the barn, having a burial for the dead that they all knew. She looked back at Andrea, "If Carl just plays out here, will you check on him every now and then?"

Andrea frowned, "Yeah, why?"

Lori shrugged, "I'm gunna go get Rick, Daryl, and Hershel."

Andrea blinked, wanting to protest. But at this moment there was no one else. And they needed to get back here, fast. She shrugged, "OK." She pulled her gun out of her back pocket, handing it to Lori, "Take this with you, and stay safe."

Lori took the gun for Andrea and nodded, turning and heading towards the house. She would have to take Maggie's car, as her husband had taken their vehicle. She tucked the gun into her belt awkwardly. She never had to carry or use a weapon, she always had Rick to protect her.

/

As the two men entered the bar, weapons drawn, they saw Hershel. He was seated at the back of the room, along the bar. He had his back to them, but didn't move to look at them when they entered. Rick looked over at Daryl, but Daryl nodded in Hershel's direction, pushing him forward.

"Hershel." Rick warned, before her approached the bar next to him.

Hershel put his head down and took another drink for the glass he had n his hand, "Who's with you?"

"Daryl." Rick answered.

Hershel laughed, "I half expected Maggie would have sent Glenn."

Rick nodded, "I'm sure she would have, but Serena is in labour."

"Oh." Hershel turned to look at Daryl, who was stand behind him. He looked him up and down, "I see."

Daryl nodded, "I need you to come back. She needs your help." He pleaded.

Hershel laughed again, turning back to his drink, "It's childbirth Daryl, not rocket science."

Daryl shook his head, stepping toward's Hershel with anger. Rick put his hand up, signalling Daryl to stop before he did something he'd regret. Rick then looked at Hershel, "Hershel, I think you're just in shock. How many have you had?" He pointed at the now empty glass.

"Enough." Hershel said.

Rick nodded and leaned in closer to Hershel, "Hershel, Daryl is about to become a father. I think it would just put him at ease if you could be there to make sure things go smoothly. And having a beautiful, healthy baby – don't you think that represents a hope in this world?"

Hershel looked up at Rick, "Hope? You want to know about hope?" He shook his head, "When I first saw you running across my field with your boy in your arms, I had little hope he'd survive."

Rick sighed, and nodded, "But her did."

"He did." Hershel agreed, "Even though we lost Otis, your man Shane made it back and we saved your boy. That was the miracle that proved to me that miracles do exist." Daryl cleared his throat and started to pace as Hershel continued, "Only it was a sham. There was no hope." Hershel said, looking over at Rick, "I was a fool Rick, and you people saw that." He took a long sip of his drink, "My family, they deserve better then that."

Rick sighed and looked back at Daryl. He felt they were losing the battle. Daryl wasn't willing to give up quiet that easily, "Look Hershel," Daryl stepped towards the bar, standing on the other side of Hershel from Rick, "I promised Serena I'd come back, with you."

"What, like you promised that little girl's mother you'd find her daughter and bring her home?" Hershel snapped, looking over at Daryl.

Daryl's hands made fist at his side as he controlled his urge to knock Hershel out. He took a deep breath and shrugged, "Fine old man, drink another. Drink the whole bottle, and another," He picked up the bottle beside them and pour more liquor into Hershel's glass, "drink yourself to death, and leave your girls alone in this world to fend for themselves." Daryl snarled, looking down at Hershel in disgust.

"I'm not going to abandon my daughters!" Hershel screamed back.

"Well I'm not going to abandon mine." Daryl said, grabbing a hold of Hershel's arm. Her turned, yanking Hershel along with him.

"Hey!" Hershel screamed, "Get your hands off me." He protested.

"Daryl." Rick warned.

"You're coming back to that farm with us." Daryl said, pulling Hershel along, "And I don't have to time to wait til you pass out." He stormed across the bar towards the bar, Hershel pulling to go the other way.

He was halfway across the bar when the front door opened and he stopped dead in his tracks. In walked two men, who stopped once inside the door. The guy int he front turned and looked at his companion, "Son of a bitch," He chuckled, "they're alive."

/

**Ahhh, just when he's about to get back to Serena, he's stopped again. Awesome. **

**What do you guys think? Comment.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys, here's another for ya, as I'm sure your all feigning after last nights episode. I like to stay a few episodes behind the series though so that I can plan my story better. Hope you all enjoy!**

**I own nothing, sadly.**

/

Daryl froze, staring at the two men in the doorway with his hand still wrapped tightly around Hershel's arm. He studied them for a moment, and then sighed, "You're welcome to stay and have yourselves some drinks, but we were just leaving."

The smaller guy grinned and nodded, "Doesn't look like your friend is ready to leave." His eyes darted from Daryl to Hershel. He then stepped aside, his friend doing them same, making a clear path to the door.

Daryl looked back at Rick, who was standing behind him waiting for him to make the first move. Daryl sighed and started to pull Hershel along with him. The old man was silent now, no longer protesting.

Daryl put his hand out, about to push open the door when the stranger spoke again, "Where abouts you guys headed, anyways?"

Daryl stopped, turning to look at the man again. The guy had a big smile on his face, but for some strange reason Daryl read his last question as a threat rather than a question. Daryl was not about to give away where they were camped out, especially when he knew Serena was there right now about to have a baby. He looked at Rick, reading his mind. If they were to leave right now, there was no guarantee that these men wouldn't follow them, a risk neither man was be willing to take.

Rick cleared his throat, nodding at Daryl, "Maybe we could stay for one drink."

Daryl rolled his eyes. They were wasting time. He nodded though, knowing they couldn't just leave, "Yeah, OK, one."

The bigger man that had entered the bar was already around the back of the bar, shuffling through bottles, pouring a drink for himself and his friend. The smaller guy pulled out a chair at one of the many tables, sitting down. He looked back at Hershel, Rick and Daryl, "Sounds good." He nodded, "I'm Dave, that's Tony."

Daryl and the others moved slowly away from the door. Daryl leaned against the bar, folding his arms over his chest, studying the two men while Rick made introductions. "Rick Grimes." He said, putting his hand on his chest, "This here is Hershel, and that's Daryl." Hershel took a seat again at the bar, while Rick handed Dave the drink from the bar that Tony had poured for him, being friendly.

Dave nodded, "Thanks. You fellas are a long ways from anywhere? You camped out close to here?" Rick looked at Dave and sighed, not answering his question. Dave shrugged, "I mean, it doesn't look like you've been stayin' here."

"We're just passing through." Daryl said before Rick was able to say anything else.

Rick looked at Daryl for a moment, and then nodded, "Headed to Fort Benning eventually."

Tony laughed lightly, "Good luck man."

Rick looked at Tony with confusion before Dave spoke up, "We ran into a guy from Fort Benning. They whole place is destroyed. There's nothing left."

The look of disappointment was prominent on Rick's face as he took in the news. Dave looked from Rick, to Daryl, "Those your cars outside?"

Daryl nodded nervously. The two men were being friendly enough, but there was something about them that Daryl didn't trust.

Dave nodded and gave his friend Tony a look, "They seem pretty empty, clean. You sure aren't living in them like we are."

"We're with a bigger group." Hershel said before Rick or Daryl were able to respond. Daryl glared at Hershel, trying to control his urge to walk over to him and smack him in the head.

Dave's ears perked up at the sound of more people, "Really? Where? You guys set up over at the new development?" He watched Rick, Hershel and Daryl for facial responses. He continued, smiling, "Or maybe a farm?" His eyes came to rest on Hershel, looking at his outfit up and down, "_Old MacDonald had a farm._" He started to hum.

Tony started to laughed, looking over at Hershel, "Yeah, that's it. You guys got a farm."

Daryl's jaw tightened as he ground his teeth, he didn't like the direction this conversation was going. Dave continued to smiled like an idiot, "Is it safe? You got water?" His questions went unanswered, but he continued to ask them.

"You got any girls?" Tony asked, looking over a Daryl giving him a disgusting look, "I haven't gotten any in weeks."

Daryl groaned and shook his head, ignoring Tony's ignorance. He pushed himself off the bar and looked over at Rick, "Alright, we've had enough." He pointed at the door, "Let's head out."

"Hold on just a second," Dave said, "Now this farm, it sounds real nice."

Rick shook his head, "Sorry, but that's not an option."

Dave and Tony looked at each other for a moment. Tony shrugged and Dave looked back to Rick, "It doesn't seem like it'd be a problem."

"Look man," Daryl snapped, "we don't know anything about you."

Dave turned his head to look at Daryl eerily, "No, that's right, you don't know anything about us." He glared into Daryl eyes, challenging him, "You don't know some of them things we've had to do."

Daryl stepped backwards toward the door, looking at Rick, whose hand was resting subtly on his rifle. Daryl had his bow and arrow slung over his shoulder, but he also had a rifle tucked into his back pocket, loaded and ready to go.

Tony slammed his foot down on the ground, "This is bullshit man." He pointed at Daryl, "I'll shoot you and your friends and I'll find that farm-"

Before Tony was able to get another word out Daryl had retrieved the gun from his back pocket, letting a bullet fly across the bar right into Tony's head, as if he were just another walker. Rick was quick to react, drawing his gun on Dave before he was able to jump out of his seat and retrieve his own weapon.

Dave threw his hands up, cowering away from the end of Ricks gun, "Geez man, no need to get so hostile." His eyes were wide as he turned his head to look at Tony's lifeless body.

Daryl didn't say a word to Rick or Hershel as he crossed the bar towards Dave, who he recognized as the real dangerous one out of the two men. Daryl grabbed the collar of Dave's shirt, pulling him up and pushing his back against the wall of the bar. Daryl stared hard into the man face for a moment, breathing heavily. He knew Dave couldn't live, despite how little and cowardly he was being now.

Dave shook, "Hey Daryl, man, common, I thought we were getting to know each other. You know, friends?"

Daryl took his hunting knife out of his belt, "Is that what that was? Cus it sounded a lot like you were making threats, Dave." He shook his head, "And no one threatens me, or my family. And quiet frankly, you are keeping me from something too important to miss." He then plunged his knife into the mans gut, twisting it. He pulled the weapon out and stuck it to Dave again a few more times. He felt the humanity fleeting out of him as he did so, but he was doing it for a good cause. He was doing it to get back to the people he loved. He was killing him to make sure Serena and Amy were safe.

Dave's body went limp as blood poured out of him. Daryl let go of his shirt as he slid to the floor of the bar, close to his friend. Daryl turned away from the dying man to look at Rick and Hershel. Rick was putting his gun back in its holder. He wasn't smiling at Daryl, but he didn't seem upset, as Daryl had expected. Hershel was sitting staring at him with a look of admiration, another shocker.

He grabbed an old rag sitting on one of the tables and wiped his knife with it, shrugging and looking at his two companions, "We should get back." He told them, heading to the door of the bar without so much as a look back at the two men he had just killed.

/

Patricia poked her head into the back room of the RV where Serena was resting. Andrea was seated beside her, but smiled and stood up when Patricia came in. Serena was uncomfortably hot in the little room, with a cold compress on her head that Andrea had fetched for her.

Patricia nodded at Andrea, "I thought I might be able to help?" She said, looking down at Serena.

Serena nodded and smiled, "Come sit with me." She looked at Andrea, "Go out and get some fresh air."

Andrea nodded and left the room, happy to have the chance at some cool, moving air. Patricia sat down in the chair that Andrea had squeezed in beside the bed. She looked over at the dresser, with the old bassinet resting on it. She smiled, remembering that it would soon come in handy once again.

Serena reached out and took Patricia's hand, squeezing it lightly. She winced and sat up a little, rubbing her free hand along her stomach. Patricia watched her, "Are you in pain?"

Serena nodded, "It's not like when I have a contraction, those kill, but its more of a pushing feeling, like I'm constipated." She smiled and shook her head, "Sorry, that's gross."

Patricia brushed it off, "Oh honey, it's fine. I know the feeling." She smiled, "I have done this myself before."

Serena looked over at her and nodded, smiling. It was a comfort to have someone there that can relate, it put her at ease just as another contraction hit her. Like a tidal wave it flew over her, plunging down her back like a stabbing pain. Uncontrollably, she squeezed tightly on Patricia's hand as she screamed.

Patricia reached out, rubbing her back calmly. She started breath in a weird way, "In ... Out." She whispered.

The pain subsided and Serena stopped screaming and started to copy Patricia's breathing. Serena finally stopped and looked over at Patricia, "You're going to help me right?" She asked scared, "You know what to do?"

Patricia looked at her, "Sweetheart, I'm going to try my best." She sighed, "But really you need Hershel, he used to handle all the births with the animals."

Serena nodded. She was asking the lady to promise something no one could be sure of. Andrea walked back into the room, looking cooled off. Patricia looked over at her, "Any sign of Hershel?"

Andrea looked at her with a worried face, "No." She then looked over at Serena, who looked out of breath and red from her recent contraction.

Patricia stood, allowing Andrea to take her spot. She smiled at Serena and then looked at Andrea, "Any change, just have someone come get me."

Andrea nodded, "Thanks." Patricia then left the RV.

Serena looked over at Andrea. All the possibilities were starting to run through her mind. She was stuck in this spot now, about to give birth, and it was all starting to hit her. She shook her head and started to cry, "I can't do this." She said softly, putting her head down, "I can't have a baby! I'm not gunna be able to do this Andrea."

Andrea gave her friend a worried look, "Shhh." She whispered, starting to rub Serena's back. She looked as if she may cry, seeing her friend in such pain, "You are a strong girl, you can do this."

"No. It hurts too much, and so much could go wrong." Her cries turned into loud sobs at this point, "And where is Daryl?" She looked over at Andrea, tears streaming down her face, "I need him here."

Andrea didn't say anything, she just leaned in and wrapped the girl in a reassuring hug. To be honest, she was more than a little worried about Daryl and Rick. At this point she could care less if Hershel came back, but she was counting on Daryl to be here. If he wasn't she wasn't sure how Serena would fare.

/

Daryl stepped out of the bar cautiously with Rick and Hershel behind him. The sun was lower in the sky and he could already tell they'd been gone a few hours. He could hear a humming coming from around the side of the strange SUV that must have belonged to Tony and Dave.

He crouched and moved around the back of the truck. It was a human, he realized. A boy was standing on the other side of the SUV with headphones in his ears humming along to whatever song he was listening to. Daryl couldn't believe the idiot, shuffling around to his music with an automatic rifle in his arms.

Daryl turned to Rick, "He's probably their lookout." Daryl asked quietly, realizing he wouldn't be heard over the guys headphones.

Rick peered around the back of the truck himself. He got one look and then looked back at Daryl, "Those other menwere dangerous, and they threatened us, but that's just a kid."

Daryl shrugged, "We can't pick and choose Rick, if he's one of them ..." Daryl stopped. He was never one to voice his opinion because he knew it didn't mean anything to anyone. All he wanted at this point was to get back to the farm, with Hershel in time for the birth of his daughter. He finally shrugged, "Fine. I'll sneak up and grab him. What do you suggest we do with him?"

Rick shrugged, "He'll be our prisoner for now."

Daryl nodded, agreeing. He then turned around the back of the SUV and suck up behind the young guy, who was rocking out to his music, completely oblivious.

It was almost too easy to wrap both arms around the young man and grab the gun from him, as the kid jumped in terror and screamed. His eyes almost jumped out of his head as he tried to get away from Daryl's firm grip. Daryl passed the kid's gun to Hershel as he and Rick tackled the boy and Daryl grabbed for his mouth, trying to muffle his screams. He wanted to get this kid contained and quiet, and soon. Hershel ran and grabbed rope out of the back of Otis' truck, wrapping it around his limbs. Daryl shoved his headphones back in his ear and they managed to use a rag to gag him.

Once they kid was laying on the ground defeated, like a roped calf at the rodeo, Daryl opened the back door to Tony and Dave's SUV, "Hey Rick, didn't those guys say they were living in their car?"

"Yeah." Rick said, opening the trunk to his own vehicle.

"Well their car is empty." Daryl said, stepping back so Rick could see inside. Daryl shook his head and walked over to the kid, undoing the gag around his mouth, "Hey kid, where are you staying?"

The kid shook and stuttered with fear, "W-w-we have a c-c-camp."

Daryl looked up at Rick to be sure he caught the answer before putting the gag back over the kids head, "We are not done talking about this." He told him, lifting him up off the ground and shoving him into the trunk of the Grime's SUV. Rick shut the hatch behind him.

/

**So there you have it. It was a little bit of a dark chap for Daryl, steppin' up to take down those two guys. What did you think? Likey - No likey? I see Daryl being more like Rick because of this move, in the way that he will now do anything to protect his family. **

**I also felt I had to incorporate Randall into the story for sure, but it would have taken too much time to do the who shoot out at the bar, even though we know that if I had, Daryl would have rocked that shit. **

**Comment guys!**


	24. Chapter 24

**I just want to say that I love you guys. I write a chapter and within a few hours I have tons of comments, which I love getting! I just want you guys to know that it's those comments that motivate me.**

**You guys have just been so awesome, and so patient, that I'm rewarding you with this chapter. **

**WARNING – scenes of a graphic nature included.**

/

Daryl slowed the Grime's vehicle to a halt, staring out the front window at the road ahead. He leaned forward, squinting his eyes, "Walker?" He finally asked Rick, turning to look at him.

On the road up ahead the two men could see a slim figure walking towards them. It seemed injured, but wasn't stumbling around aimlessly like all the other monsters they had come across. This person looked alive, like they were on a mission, following the road with intentions.

Rick shrugged, and nodded onward. Daryl moved towards the person slowly. They were a few hundred yards away when Rick yelled at Daryl in a panicked voice, "Stop." He threw his door open before Daryl was able to put the car in park, "It's Lori." Rick explained, running up the road towards his wife.

Daryl squinted, looking up the road at the woman. He would never have been able to tell that was Lori from this distance, but Rick knew his wife better than anyone. Daryl jumped out of the car, running ahead to join the couple, looking into the back seat at Hershel, "Stay with the kid."

When Lori saw the two men running towards her she stopped, breathing a sigh of relief. Rick ran to her, wrapping his arm around her, "What? What happened? Why are you here?"

She sighed, "I was coming to get you." She looked over at Daryl, who was joining them, "We have to hurry. The baby. You're gunna miss it." She said.

Daryl nodded, and Rick started to walk with Lori back to the car. He opened the back door to the car for his wife and she jumped in, frowning as she noticed the poor kid jammed into the back part of the SUV, tied up. She turned to her husband with a puzzled look.

Rick nodded, "We picked up a straggler, but we don't know if he's safe." He explained as Lori sat down. Rick looked her over, "Where is your vehicle?"

She shook her head and pointed up the road, "I had an accident." She laughed, "I looked down at the map and hit a walker. I'm fine."

Rick put his hand on her head, feeling around for bumps, "You were lucky. You should have stayed at camp with Carl. You knew I was coming back."

She pulled her head away from him and frowned, "I never REALLY know if your coming back." She snapped coldly.

Rick sighed and nodded, understanding. He shut the door on his wife and jumped in the passenger's seat. Daryl was already back in the driver's seat, ready to go. He started the car and sped back up to high speeds, flying down the road towards the farm.

As the car passed Lori's accident site Daryl slowed down so they could get a better look. Once Rick got a good look at the wreckage he turned around to glare at Lori, realizing now how bad it was.

Daryl whistled as he noticed two walkers laying on the ground, recently killed, "Took down some walker too, eh?"

Lori didn't respond, she just looked away from her husbands angry stare, realizing now how foolish she had been.

/

Serena felt the horrible urge to pee, really badly. In fact, she had been holding in the feeling for long over an hour now, with a contraction hitting her every 3 to 4 minutes now. Andrea was at her side still, holding her hand silently while she suffered. She had her legs crossed under the blanket, and was squeezing her thighs together with all her might. She was not gunna let this baby pop without her Daddy.

Patricia appeared at the door again, looking more worried than she had been when she last saw Serena. She shook her head, looking down at the girl, "Serena, are you holding it in?" She asked, looking at her concentrated face. Serena shook her head in a lie, but Patricia knew the truth, "Don't hold it in. If it's time, it's time." 

"Yeah?" Serena squeezed on Andrea's hand again as her stomach rumbled and the pressure continued to build on her uterus, "Well it's not time." She insisted.

Patricia calmly lifted the blanket that was covering Serena's lower half. She look a quick look before shaking her head and giving Andrea a look.

Andrea nodded at the women and sighed, "Serena, I know you want Daryl here, but I'm here, and Patricia is here to help. And ultimately this is gunna come down to you. You've come this far, and I know you can make it through the rest." She pleaded to her friend.

Serena looked over to Andrea with a worried look, but she was listening to her friends words. She nodded slowly, realizing it was probably time. She untwisted her legs and brought her knees up, readying herself. And then then, as if Amy sensed the change in her mothers attitude, it was as if the little girl just started pushing herself out.

Serena started to scream, and by scream, she really hollered. She leaned forward, and gripped tightly to Andrea. Patricia's eyes widened with shock at how fast things changed. She was just about to get comfortable down at Serena's bottom end when they all heard Hershel's voice from the door of the RV.

"Someone having a baby in here?" Hershel asked, stepping into the back room with Daryl quickly on toe.

Daryl looked down at Serena, still crouched forward with her hands holding her knees. She was so focused it was like she was the only one that didn't realize he was there. Regardless, he had made it, and he pushed around Andrea and Patricia, "I made it Babe," He called over her screams, "I'm here."

She stopped screaming for a moment and looked up at him with a red face. She said nothing, but a look of relief rushed over her as she let go of Andrea and reached out to him. Without thinking, he pushed in through the group, sliding himself into the bed behind where Serena sat, so that her back was against his chest and his legs were on either side of her while she was leaning forward in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her, grabbing both her hands. She leaned back against him, resting for a moment. She took a few deep breaths while Patricia left the room and Hershel got comfortable at the bottom of the bed.

Once Hershel was ready he lifted the blanket that covered Serena's lower half, accessing the situation. He got one look and his eyes got wide, "Well it looks like we got here just in time." He looked up at Serena, "How do you feel?"

Serena shrugged, "Like I have to go to the bathroom, really bad." She told him.

Hershel shrugged, "Then it's time to start pushing."

Serena looked over at her friend for a moment, who was sitting in the chair staring at Hershel wide eyed. She then looked over her shoulder at Daryl, who literally had her back. Everyone who mattered was here, and everyone else was waiting outside for her. She could do this now.

She took a deep breath and started to push again, leaning forward with all her might, forcing her little girl down and out. She thought she might be breaking Daryl's hands, but he didn't seem fazed by it.

She started screaming again, looking at Hershel for answers, "My crotch is on fire!" She yelled at him bluntly.

Hershel nodded, looking under the blanket smiling, "That's the head you feel." He explained.

"You can see the head?" Daryl asked, excited.

Hershel looked up at Daryl and smiled, "You bet, she's crowning." He looked over at Andrea, "You can get a better view down here?"

Andrea shook her head, frozen in place. She felt queasy already, and knew that taking one peek would probably do it for her.

Serena stopped pushing again, breathing heavily, her head falling back onto Daryl shoulder. She was crying lightly, from the pain. Her legs were shaking from exhaustion. Hershel looked up at her, "Only a little bit more to go." He insisted.

Daryl let go of one of her hands, reaching up and wiping the sweat off her forehead, "You are amazing." He whispered into her ear, "I know you can do this."

She nodded, closing her eyes for a moment, savouring their last few moments with it just being the two of them. She smiled, "WE can do this." She insisted, opening her eyes again, looking down at Hershel with determination as she started to push again.

Serena suddenly felt a release of pressure as she pushed and Hershel started to laugh, "There's the head." He explained, "The worse is over with."

Serena opened her eyes wide and looked down in front of her. From her point of view she could see the top half of her daughter, small, pink, and wrinkly, hanging out of her, half in Hershel's arms. Serena couldn't control herself. She reached down for the small child, grabbing her under both of her arms. Serena could feel herself pulling the rest of her daughter out of her, as Hershel allowed her to take over. Amy slide out the rest of the way with ease.

Once Amy was finally free, Serena instantly pulled her up onto her chest, wrapping her arms around her fragile, little body. She leaned back into Daryl exhausted as Amy let out her first cries, showing off her new set of lungs. Hershel immediately started to wipe the baby down, though still leaving her to lay on her mother's chest.

Daryl peered around Serena, down at his new born daughter, who was staring up at him with her bright, blue eyes that seemed to stare right into his soul, stealing it, and his heart, right away. He reached one hand out, rubbing the the top of her little head, touching her for the first time.

Serena started to cry tears of joy, coddling Amy in her arms while Hershel tended to her and the baby. Even Andrea started to cry, rubbing Serena's shoulder. Serena had done so good. She had practically delivered her own baby there at the end. It had all happened so fast that Andrea was still trying to wrap her head around the miracle she had just witnessed.

Serena finally turned her head, looking back at Daryl, making eye contact with him. She was beaming, the same with him. He leaned in and kissed her, relieved that both of his girls were safe in his arms.

The babies cries must have been heard outside of the RV, because almost instantly Serena and Daryl could hear cheers and whistles coming in through the open window. Everyone must have been just as anxious outside, waiting for Amy to join their family.

/

**And there you have it ...**

**Comments :D**


	25. Chapter 25

**Ok guys, here is another update for you. I'm so happy with the comments on the last chapter! I'm glade that it lived up to most of your expectations. I know it was a little safe, but I have just become so attached to Serena and Amy too that I didn't want there to be any problems with the birth.**

**Enjoy. I own nothing :(**

/

Serena opened her eyes to the early morning sun flooding into the RV through the blinds. When Serena had last closed her eyes it had still been dark out, though it was probably only 2 hours ago. In the past week Serena had become a paranoid sleeper, worried that Amy may wake and cry for too long before she wakes up herself.

That was her biggest fear at the moment - Amy crying for too long. For such a small body the little girl could produce a shrieking crying, which carried disturbingly well. By no means was Amy an unhappy baby, on the contrary she seemed quiet at peace in her new home, which for the past week had merely consisted of the RV.

Serena had barely left the bed at all, wanting to rest and regain her strength. Over time the others had come in to see her and to welcome Amy to their little family one by one, but mostly they had steered clear of the RV, respecting Serena and Amy's privacy. And all that was fine, for the first week at least, but Serena was becoming restless, and had decided that it was time to get back into the swing of things around camp.

Daryl was passed out beside Serena in the small double bed in the back room of the RV. He was exhausted, with his mouth hanging open and a low snore escaping him every few moments. For the past week Daryl had tended to Serena and Amy's every need: bringing Serena meals, helping with Amy as best he could, making sure Serena got enough rest, taking away the dirty diapers to be cleaned (Carol did the actual cleaning part). He had been a life saver all week, but he was ready to get back to his old jobs around camp, hunter and protector.

Serena turned on her side, Daryl back to her, and put her arms out around him. It felt so strange to her, to be able to squeeze in so closely beside him, and to actually be able to fit her arms around him. The belly she'd had was gone now, still a bit of loose skin, but back to its pre-pregnancy size, like she hadn't gained any weight at all other than the weight Amy had on her.

Daryl's snores stopped and his arm moved, reaching one of his hands up and taking one of hers, which were still wrapped around him. He lifted her hand to his mouth, kissing the top of it, "Humm." He sighed, putting her hand back down around his waist. He didn't say anything, or turn to face her, he just lay there silently with her hand in his.

He was probably relieved to have been brought out of his slumber by her, rather than Amy's cries. Amy always snapped him into a worrisome state. She would start to cry, and he would get all flustered, just wanting to make her comfortable again. In most cases all Amy needed was a feeding and a change of diaper, both of which Serena would do, but the whole time Daryl would be worried about her.

Amy finally stirred in the bassinet beside the bed, opening her eyes and letting out a deep cry. Serena sighed, sitting up in bed and leaning over, scooping the infant out of the crib. Serena wrapped her blanket around her again. Every night Serena would put Amy in her crib wrapped up like a little burrito, and every morning she would find her unwrapped, arms failing up in the air, looking for her parents with bright eyes.

Serena held Amy like a football, against her chest as the little girl searched around for her mom's boob. She was a greedy little thing. Once Amy started away at her breakfast she was happy, settling down all together.

Daryl finally turned over in the bed and sighed, looking out the window at the rising sun, "I think she's starting to sleep later." He said.

Serena just shook her head and laughed, "That's just your wishful thinking."

Daryl sighed, "Yeah, maybe." He sat up in the bed beside her, looking down at Amy's tiny body in her arms, "Just as well, today's the day we release the kid." He told her.

When Daryl and Rick had brought Randall, the kid, back to the farm with them he had collapsed from shock while still in the back of Rick's SUV. After Amy's birth Hershel finally looked at him, concluding that he was in shock and was probably dehydrated. It had taken almost a week for Randall to get to the point that he could be released and still have a fighting chance. Rick and Shane were going to be going out later today to leave him somewhere, far enough away from camp that he couldn't come back.

Daryl had chosen not to get involved with the kid at all, focusing his time on Amy and Serena in the past week, rather than on something that didn't involve him. Once again Shane and Rick were at odds about what to do, but Rick was their leader now, and he had final say.

Serena rocked Amy back and forth slowly, the motion becoming such habit that she almost didn't notice she was doing it anymore, "He's just a kid, huh?" She asked.

Daryl groaned, "Well, not really, that's just an expression." He rubbed his head, "The guys just baby faced is all."

Serena looked over at him, "How old would you say he is?"

Daryl didn't want to say. The kid was lucky if he was 21, and that Daryl highly doubted. Form Daryl had seen of him, back at the bar, he seemed to still be high school age. But he wouldn't tell Serena that, "Probably, 25."

Serena looked back down at Amy, nodding. She didn't say anything more about the kid. She was afraid to ask what Daryl thought about Rick's decision to let the kid go. Daryl didn't want to do anything that put her or Amy at risk, and letting that kid go was a big risk. Serena cleared her throat, "You know, you never told me what it was about this kid that makes you think he's a threat."

Daryl put his head down, looking at his lap, "Just something I saw while we were in town." Daryl mumbled. There was no chance he was going to come clean to Serena about the men he had killed. If he told her, that would forever change the way she looked at him.

Serena frowned, looking over at Daryl. She knew to drop the subject now, before Daryl shut down on her even more. He had clearly been trying to avoid the subject all week, and if she knew Daryl, there was a good reason for it.

/

Andrea stood at the bottom of the steps to the RV, holding the door for Serena as she stepped out of the vehicle that had held her for the last week into the hot Georgian air. Though the breeze wasn't cool at all, it felt great drifting through Serena's hair. Amy was awake in her arms, eyes open and staring up at her, though she didn't open her mouth or show any signs of discomfort.

Andrea smiled brightly as Serena walked carefully across the ground towards the chair that she had been anchored to for almost two weeks before Amy's arrival. It was still stationed where she had left it, waiting for her to return.

Carol and Lori were sitting near by her, close to the fire. Carol was scrubbing a pan, probably one she had used that morning, but put the dish down when she saw Serena. The two women stood up and came towards her as she sat down, oohing and ahhing, like they had the first time they had met Amy earlier in the week.

Carol held out her pointer finger for Amy to latch onto, wrapping her tiny hand around it and squeezing hard. Carol laughed, adoring her. Serena looked up at Carol, still understanding that the poor woman was probably still grieving from the loss of her own daughter. Serena smiled, holding Amy out to Carol to take her, "Here."

Carol looked at Serena with a worried face, "Oh no, its OK."

Serena shook her head, "Don't be silly, she won't break. Remember, you told me that the first day."

Carol smiled and nodded, reaching out and taking the baby in her arms, "Well hello there." She spoke to Amy, swaying from side to side. Lori stood beside her, smiling and waving down at the little girl while she stared up at the two strange women.

Daryl came out of the RV, carrying a load of laundry, which he placed by the picnic table with a few other piles of clothes. He looked over at Lori then, "Where's Rick?" He asked her, looking around.

Lori nodded in the direction of the house, "Getting ready to go."

Daryl joined them all, standing around Serena. He looked over at Carol and nodded with a smile, happy to see his daughter to content. He then looked down at Serena, "I'm gunno go up and see Rick and Shane off. I need to talk to Rick before he goes anyways."

Serena nodded. Daryl seemed to have grown an attachment to Rick in the last little while, and was spending more time discussing things with him. Rick had also come looking for Daryl on more than one occasion needing some advise. It was a strange new friendship, but not a surprising one, seeing as they could now relate to each other on a more personal level.

Once Daryl was gone Serena looked up at Lori, "Hey," She asked quietly, "Did Rick say anything about their trip into town last week?"

Lori frowned and shrugged, "Not really. Why?"

Serena folded her arms and shook her head, "I don't know. Probably nothing, it's just that Daryl hasn't talked about it. He avoids the subject."

Lori shrugged, "So leave it alone." She smiled, "We don't know what happens out there." She said, pointing out at the fields, but referring to the world outside of camp, "But what ever does ... men like to keep it to themselves. Just let them."

Serena sat back in her chair. She didn't like that, just leaving Daryl alone to his own thoughts and memories. Everyone needed someone to talk to, and she wanted to be that for him more than anything. She nodded though, "I guess."

Lori smiled and nudged Serena's shoulder, "Besides, you should worry about the things you can control, like you new daughter." She smiled, "Let the men worry about what's out there." She then looked over at Carol who was talking away to Amy, "Carol and I were gunna go up to the house to prepare lunch, if you want to come with us."

Serena nodded, "Yeah, that will be good for us." She stood up from her chair, looking over at Carol, who seemed like such a natural with the little girl. Carol started to walk up to the house with the rest of them, the baby still quiet comfortable in her arms.

/

Rick was leaning against the driver's side of Shane's car staring ahead at the shed that they had been keeping Randall in. Daryl came up beside him, nodding at him when Rick noticed him, "Hey."

Rick nodded back, "Hi." He pointed at the shed, "We're gunna drop him off somewhere."

"Make sure it's far enough out." Daryl instructed him.

Rick nodded, "18 miles."

Daryl looked over at Rick, "You sure about taking Shane with you?"

Rick looked at Daryl with a look of understanding before nodding, "I'm sure. I can keep him under control."

Daryl snorted, "Maybe you used to be able to." He shook his head, "But he's not the same guys, Rick." Daryl was silent for a moment before adding, "He hasn't been the same since he murdered Otis."

Rick looked at Daryl, shocked, "Did he tell ya that?" Rick asked.

Daryl rolled his eyes, "He didn't have to. Common Rick, you can't be that stupid."

Rick looked at Daryl with a sad face, nodding in acceptance, "OK."

Daryl shrugged, thinking back to his murders at the bar last week, "I guess Shane will do anything to protect his family too." Daryl mumbled, "I mean, Lori and Carl, that's like his family. He probably did what he had to do to save Carl."

Rick nodded, he had concluded the same thing. But that was Rick's family, not Shane's. It wasn't the same thing. "Murdering two men who were threatening our families is one thing, sacrificing a member of your own group to save your own ass, that is quiet another." Rick looked over at Daryl, "What you did back at that bar last week, it wasn't wrong. I probably would have done it if you hadn't beat me to the punch."

Daryl nodded. He knew what he had done was OK with Rick. But who's to say the situation Shane had been put in? Daryl figured that Shane killed Otis, but the circumstances around that was still unknown. Daryl wasn't going to judge Shane before he knew all the facts. And knowing Shane, they will probably never knew what really happened.

/

**So there it is. I probably won't be updating again until after the season finale I'm sorry to say, but I have to be able to plan my story accordingly. Also, if I rush to finish season 2 that just means I will have as long of a hiatus as the show will have between seasons. **

**Also, I've been playing around with a Walking Dead/Supernatural crossover that I might write while my other story is waiting for season 3 to premiere. I think a little Daryl and Dean would just be delicious (no slash though). What are your thoughts? **

**Comment all!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hello everyone. Season finale was on last night, as I'm sure all you die hard fan know, so I'm sure your all expecting updates from moi. Well here we are with update # 1. I have the rest of the season all planned out in my head though, its just a matter of getting the rest of down on paper ... and not rushing it. Can't rush it.**

/

Maggie and Patricia were in the in the kitchen cutting up some chicken and cucumbers when the women came in. Patricia looked up at Amy who was wide eyed in Carol's arms and smiled wide, "Hi." She said, "Oh, let me wash my hands. I want to see you." She waved at Amy as she walked over to the sink. Serena watched with ease as Carol handed the little girl off to Patricia.

Lori walked in behind them, but Andrea had walked back down to the RV to take her turn on watch. Maggie handed a piece of cucumber to Serena, who smiled and took the fresh vegetable from her, "Umm, thanks."

Maggie winked at her and threw a few pieces of cucumber onto a plate, along with some chicken, "I'm gunna go take this to Beth." She said to Patricia.

Serena looked at Lori as Maggie left the room, "Why, what's wrong with Beth?"

Lori looked at Serena and shrugged, "She's been pretty depressed since her mom's burial. She's just not been well, you know?"

Serena shook her head, "I had no idea." She looked over at Patricia, "I'm sorry."

Patricia smiled and shrugged, "There's nothing you could do."

Serena nodded, "Maybe I could go talk to her?"

"Go ahead if you'd like," Patricia smiled, "We've all tried."

Serena shrugged and nodded at Amy, still in Patricia's arms, "You got her?" She asked.

Patricia nodded, "If she starts to fuss I'll come get you."

Serena smiled and headed in the same direction that Maggie had disappeared to, "Thanks."

She found Maggie and Beth upstairs in Beth's bedroom. Maggie was sitting on the bed with red eyes, staring at her sisters, laying under the covers looking rather ill.

When Maggie saw Serena at the door she turned her head and wiped her eyes. Serena winced, knowing she had just walked in on something, "Hey ... sorry."

Maggie shook her head and stood up, "No, its alright. I'm gunna go take a plate out to Glenn and Dale. You can stay." She walked around Serena and out the door without another word.

Serena turned to look at Beth, who looked up at her, then back down at her hands. Serena sat down on the bed at Beth's feet, "Hey. I just wanted to come up and see you, I haven't had a chance to tell you how sorry I am for your loss. Some losses hurt way worse then others."

Beth looked up, tucking her blond hair back behind her ear, "You just had a baby?" She asked, disgusted at the thought, "How can you do that?"

Serena frowned down at her and shrugged, "I didn't really have a choice now, did I?"

Beth looked up at Serena with a blank stare, "I think we all have a choice. The choice whether or not we want to bring children into this world. The choice whether or not we want to live in this world ourselves."

Serena shook her head, "Living is not a choice, it just is. Just imagine everyone you love, and how they would be with you gone."

Beth started to cry, "Well one day I could be gone."

Serena nodded, "A long time from now. But until then, you just have to take it all in and enjoy what you can. Once you start looking for it, the joy in this world will greatly outweigh the pain and sorrow you unfortunately have to feel sometimes."

Beth was wiped her eyes and looked up at Serena, "Wait until everything you know and love is ripped from you, and then we'll see how you feel." She sniped.

Serena stood up and looked at Beth. She was defeated, this girl was not going to be swayed easily. She didn't want to think about loosing Amy or Darrel, and she wasn't about to sit here and discuss the possibilities with Beth. She huffed and turned to walk out of the room, "If you feel like it later, maybe you can come out for a little walk with Amy and I."

Beth frowned, "I'm not going out there." She turned to look out the window.

Serena shrugged and waved to her as she exited the room, "Suit yourself." Some people just don't want to be helped.

/

Serena was sitting in a chair under a tree by the RV where it was shady. Andrea was pacing onto the camper with the rifle in her hand, on watch, but other then that camp was pretty well empty. Daryl had gone along with T-Dog, Glenn, and Dale on a perimeter run, the other women were still in the house, and Maggie and Hershel were over in Hershel's work shed.

Amy had gotten fussy only a little while after Serena had gotten back from her chat with Beth, and so Serena had come outside in the fresh air and quiet to breastfeed comfortably, seeing as Andrea was only one who would see her, and she had seen far worse at Amy's birth.

Serena smiled down at Amy, sucking away in hunger, she was no doubt going to be a little chunker. Serena had found herself much more hungry and thirsty recently, and she could only assume ti was because Amy was draining her of everything she had.

Lori came running out of the house in a hurry, "Andrea!" She shouted, coming towards them, "Have you seen Maggie or Hershel?" She stopped beside Serena, looking up at Andrea on the RV.

Andrea pointed in the direction of the shed, "They're in the work shed last I saw."

Lori nodded, "Can you fetch them for me? I've gotta get back to the house."

Andrea nodded, "Uh, sure."

"Thanks." Lori huffed before running back towards the house.

"What was that about?" Serena said, turning to watch Lori as she hurried away from them.

Andrea shrugged and started to climb down the latter to the ground, "Who knows. Everything is an emergency with that one." She rolled her eyes.

Serena smiled, it seemed Queen Grimes was starting to get on people's nerves. Or maybe Andrea was just jealous because it was clear as day that Shane still love Lori.

"OK, I'm just going to get Maggie and Hershel." She said, heading for the shed.

"OK, we'll be here." She said, nodding down at Amy, still feasting away.

Serena stared down at her daughter, it wasn't often that she was alone with her. As she studied her daughter it actually surprised her how much she saw Craig in her. She had his tan skin, cheek dimples, and she would have his eyes, once they were finished changing colour. She also had his brown, curly hair she had loved so much, she had been born with a mop of it. Serena was the only one who had ever met Craig, and so she was the only one who could see him in Amy, but Craig had had good genes, and Serena had to admit that they had made a gorgeous baby together.

"What the hell is this?" Daryl said, walking up behind Serena, shocking her out of her daze.

"What? What's wrong?" Serena looked around, but the rest of the guys that had been with Daryl were heading inside the house for lunch. They must have just gotten back.

"You're out here all alone." Daryl pointed out, looking around camp for any other sign of life.

Serena smiled, "Andrea just left to get Hershel and Maggie. Lori needed them inside. She'll be right back."

He sighed and sat down in the chair beside her, frustrated. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and rubbing his eyes like he was tired. He sighed again.

Serena looked over at him, "Babe, what's wrong?"

He shook his head, "We killed a few walkers today." He told her, "We're starting to see more of them out there."

Serena nodded, "They are probably starting to migrate, looking for food." She shuddered at the thought.

Daryl shook his head, but didn't say anything. He was drained. In the last week he had loss more sleep than ever before, he had a whole new person to have to worry about, he was killing more walkers, which meant there was more of a threat out there, and there was still a possibility that the group Randall was with could find them too. It was all too much, and he just didn't want to think anymore.

Serena shifted in her seat, lifting Amy up and over her shoulder, patting her back, waiting for the burp, "Someone is almost ready for a nap." She said. That was becoming Amy's routine, eat and then sleep. It was perfect.

Daryl smiled and stood up, holding out his arms for the little girl, "Me too." He said, groaning, "I'll nap with her if you want to go up to the house."

Serena smiled at him and stood up for the pass over. Amy was already half conscious and didn't make a fuss and her Dad lifted her up onto his chest, starting to pat her back the way Serena had just been doing it.

Serena put one hand up, running it along the back of Amy's head, through her soft curls, "Sleep tight." She said to both of them. She leaned up to kiss Daryl before he turned and headed inside the RV for some sleep.

Serena turned towards the house. Finally she could find out what was so important that Lori needed Maggie and Hershel for.

Serena entered through the back door and went right into the kitchen where Lori and Andrea were both standing at the counter with their arms crossed, "Hey." She said before she stopped to listen to the screaming coming from upstairs. She frozen when she heard it, looking at both women who had pretty serious looks on both their faces. "What's going on?" Serena finally asked.

Lori looked over at her, "I caught Beth with a knife. God only knows what she was planning on doing with it."

"Oh my gosh." Serena said. She had just talked to the poor girl.

"This could have been handled better." Andrea said, looking over at Lori.

Lori looked over Andrea with a confused look, "Better? How?"

Andrea looked down at her feet, like she was thinking carefully about her wording, "You ... you shouldn't have taken the knife away from her."

Serena took a step back. She wasn't exactly agreeing with Andrea on this one, but she felt like Andrea might know what Beth was going through better then everyone else would. She was going to keep herself out of this one, it was between her and Lori.

Lori rolled her eyes, turning to the sink and rinsing a plate that was sitting beside it, "You're crazy."

Andrea shook her head, "You were wrong." She said bluntly, "That's like Dale taking my gun away, that wasn't his decision, and this wasn't yours." Lori continued to rinse dishes with her back turned to Andrea, but Andrea kept on talking, "She has to choose to live on her own." Andrea said.

Serena tip toed through the room to the fridge where she had put a plate or sliced cucumber earlier. She took the plate out and began to munch on them while the two women continued at each other like she wasn't in the room.

Lori put the plate she was hold down and turned the water off, turning to face Andrea finally, "So what, would you like me to tie a noose for her?"

"If she's serious," Andrea said honestly, "she'll figure out a way."

Lori sighed, "That doesn't mean I can't try to stop her, or at least let her I care."

Andrea nodded, "But ultimately its up to her, she has to decide whether suicide is the best options for her."

Lori shook her head, "Suicide is not an option at all."

Andrea chuckled a little, "What world do you live in. Of course its an option, and these days its a pretty valid one."

"So what? Give her a loaded gun." Lori looked at Andrea, "Don't be offended if I don't send you in there."

Andrea looked hurt, "I came out of that."

"To become such a productive member of the group." Lori said sarcastic.

Serena put her hand up before Andrea was able to respond, "Hey, common guys." She tried to bring them out of attack mode.

Lori rolled her eyes, "No seriously, what does she do?" She pointed at Andrea, looking over at her, "You sit up on that RV workin' on your tan with a shot gun in your hand while the rest of us are cookin', and cleanin', and carin' for who ever happens to be hurt at the time."

Andrea looked aghast, "I provide. I help to protect this group."

"Lori, Andrea, stop now." Serena pleaded to them again.

Lori turned to glare at Serena, "You better stay out of this before I start on about your contribution to this group."

Serena looked at Lori, shocked. On moment she had been having a disagreement with Andrea and the next she was in full attack mode. Before Serena could say anything in retort, Andrea was shooting back, and fuming.

"Hey, listen to me," Andrea pointed at Lori from across the island in the middle of the kitchen, "We voted Rick our leader, but no one gave you permission to talk to anyone like that. No one voted for you, and if there had been a vote, believe me honey you would not have had a chance. Let's get that clear right now." Andrea crossed her arms and smirked, she was on a roll now, "You are so self-centred. You don't even see ... you just take it all for granted."

Lori leaned back on the counter behind her and rubbed her forehead, "My husband is out there for the 100th time. My son was shot. Don't you stand there and tell me that I'm taking all this for granted."

Andrea shook her head and laughed, "You don't get it, do you? You're husband came back from the dead. Your son too. And now ..." Andrea looked down at Lori stomach, "you've got a baby on the way." She slammed her hand down on the counter in front of her, "Mean while, the rest of us have pile up our losses, but you just keep on keeping on. Playin' house, playin' Queen Bee, laying down rules for everyone but yourself." Andrea stopped and glared at Lori for a moment, who was staring at Andrea speechless. Andrea shook her head, "Go ahead. Go in there and tell that girl that everything is gunna be great, just like it is for you. She can have the husband, the son, the baby ... the boyfriend..." Andrea stopped for a moment, giving Lori a minute to clue into what she was saying. At this point it was safe to assume everyone knew about Lori and Shane. "She just has to look on the bright side, right?"

Lori didn't say anything. She huffed a little to herself before storming out of the kitchen and out of the house. Serena had never seen that hard headed, bitch of a women look so defeated. Andrea had gotten nasty, though Lori had been the one to insult Andrea first, so in a way she had it coming.

Once Lori was gone for a few moments Andrea looked over at Serena and smiled, starting to chuckle to herself. Serena smiled back at her, "I can't believe you just did that."

Andrea shook her head, "Neither can I actually. But it felt really good."

/

**Wahhh. I was just thinking about how it's going to be a good 7 months before this show starts up again. Thank god for fanfiction ... and our amazing imaginations. If anyone has a good Walking Dead fanfic that they could suggest, I will need my TWD fix while its away. Send me a link in a comment and I'll check it out.**

**KK, thanx guys.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Here's another one folks. I'm on a role now. Oh man, there is definitely some sad moments coming up that I'm not looking forward to reliving. Oh well, I'll do my best to do the show justice. I hope you enjoy so far.**

/

Amy's little body was asleep on Daryl's chest, her body rising and falling as she breathed. He was laying on the bed looking down at her. She had passed out a little while ago after he'd gotten her to let out a loud burp. He hadn't yet brought himself to lift her down into her bassinet, they were both comfortable where she was.

She was the smallest person Daryl had ever seen. As she lay on his chest, he rubbed her back slowly with his giant hand. He noticed her hands twitch every once in a while, and it made him wonder what on earth she could be dreaming about. He played with her curls lightly, being sure not to pull on them at all. He wished he could freeze times like these, with her being so small, so unaware of the horrors of her world. Asleep in his arms she was completely at peace, trusting that her Daddy was watching out for her.

He heard the door to the RV swing open and he leaned his head over so that he could see down the hallway. Dale was just coming in the from outside, carrying the Sheriff's bag full of weapons. When Daryl made eye contact with Dale he nodded and then lifted his pointer finger to his lips warning him to keep quiet.

Dale smiled and nodded, getting the message. He then left Daryl's sight, rummaging around up front before coming into view again in the doorway to the bedroom, smiling down at Amy, undisturbed on top of Daryl.

Dale shook his head, "She's unreal, isn't she?"

Daryl looked back down at Amy, taking one of her little hands in his. He nodded, "That's what I was just thinking."

Dale winked down, "You're doing good, son."

Daryl smirked, then nodded in appreciation, "I'm trying my best." He answered honestly.

Dale smiled back down at the little girl, "Little Angel." He mumbled, before turning to leave Daryl to his father/daughter time.

/

Serena was sitting at the table with Glenn and T-Dog while they ate. Carol was sitting with them too, but was stitching up Glenn's jeans, which he had ripped on a fence while they were out. "Those were good jeans." Glenn had said, upset. Carol came to the rescue on that one.

Maggie was also sitting at the table, beside Glenn, but she was still upset over her sister so she was just sitting there staring blankly ahead. Glenn had offered her a few bits off his plate, but she just shook her head no.

Finally Maggie blinked and looked over at Glenn, "I'm gunna go back up and check on her." She said about Beth. Hershel had gone back out to the shed and Glenn had gone up and brought Maggie down a little while ago, Andrea offering to sit upstairs with her.

Glenn looked over at her, "I'm sure she's fine." He assured her.

Maggie nodded, "Probably, but I'm just gunna go check." She said, getting up from the table and out of the room in a hurry.

Glenn sighed once she was gone, "She won't even talk to me." He looked over at Serena.

Serena shrugged, "Just continue to be there for her, eventually she'll open her eyes and see it."

Glenn nodded and took another bite of his lunch, "I hope so."

"BETH!" Maggie screamed from upstairs, "BETH! STOP! BETH! OPEN THE DOOR!"

Glenn jumped up from his seat, with T-Dog hot on his tail. The two guys raced up the stairs ahead of Carol and Serena, rushing into Beth's room.

Maggie was banging on the door of the washroom that was attached to the room. She look up at Glenn with a look of horror, "She's locked herself in the bathroom. I heard the mirror break." She sobbed, forcing her whole body against the door, "BETH! OPEN UP! I WON"T BE MAD!"

Glenn looked behind him at T-Dog, "Go get Hershel." He said, before looking around. He turned back to look at Maggie, "Where's Andrea?"

Maggie looked furious, "I don't know."

Serena's stomach turned. Andrea hadn't just done this, had she?

Glenn banged with Maggie on the door, but it didn't budge. Then, suddenly, the door to the bathroom unlocked and Beth opened it. Her face was white and her eyes were bloodshot from crying. She was holding out her hands, wrist sides up as she sat on the ground. She had used a piece of broken glass to slit both of her wrists, "I'm sorry." She cried, "Help."

"Oh my god." Maggie fell to her knees in front of her sister, grabbing both of her wrists and putting pressure on the cuts.

Glenn grabbed a few towels that were in the bathroom, handing them to Maggie as she applied them to both wrists.

"I'm sorry." Beth just kept whispering to her sister while she tended to her.

Maggie shook her head, "It's fine, it's fine. It's OK." She tried to reassure her sister, though she was having a hard time hiding a pissed off look.

Hershel arrived at the door to Beth's room. He gasped when he saw both his daughters sitting on the floor, and his eyes got wide when he saw what was going on, "Bethie." He cried, rushing across the room and wrapping his arms around his daughter.

Beth started balling again, "I'm so sorry Daddy."

Hershel let her go and looked down at her wrists, "I'll have to stitch those up." He said after examining them. He then looked up at Beth again, "Don't you ever do anything like that again." He said to her.

Beth sniffled and nodded at him, "I won't. I promise."

Serena turned and left the room then. The worst was over, crisis adverted. She made her was back down the stairs and out the front door of the house.

Andrea was running across the yard towards her, "I just heard." She said in a huff as she came to a stop in front of Serena, "Is she alright."

"She slit her wrists." Serena told her, "If she hadn't unlocked the bathroom door, she might be dead right now."

Andrea smiled, "But she unlocked the door. She wants to live."

Serena shook her head in frustration, "Andrea, you told Glenn and Maggie you'd watch her. This is your fault."

Andrea shook her head, "No, no. That girl thought she wanted to die, and nothing would have stopped her from trying. But she didn't go through with it. She made her own choice, and she chose to live."

Serena crossed her arms across her chest and sighed. She didn't agree with what Andrea had done, but the end result came out well, "I don't think Hershel and Maggie are so pleased."

Andrea shrugged, "I'll explain why I did it to them. I'm sure they won't be too angry, I mean, Beth is alive."

Serena shrugged, "I guess we'll see." She walked down the steps of the porch and Andrea turned and walked into the house, where Serena was certain she would get an ear full.

/

The sun had almost set as Shane and Rick's car drove back into camp. The rest of the campers were all gathered around the fire pit. Daryl and Dale were cooking some chicken over the fire, thinking it would be good to eat outside tonight rather then inside with Hershel's group. After the whole Beth thing this afternoon tempers were running a little high and it was best to just steer clear of the house for now. Serena was inside the camper with Amy, bathing her in an old rain basin that Dale had rigged up.

Daryl turned away from the cooking meat as Rick and Shane walked towards them. The light was fading, but Daryl could see the signs of a scuffle on both their faces. Rick had a nice red shiner and Shane was limping slightly. Daryl wondered if they'd had a run in with the walkers or if their injuries were from one another.

Rick saw him and waved him over, "Daryl," He put one arm around him and leaned in close, speaking in a quiet voice, "Randall is in the trunk of Shane's car still. Do you think you can go lock him up in the shed or something?"

Daryl looked at Rick and frowned, "What? Why did you bring him back here?"

Rick sighed, "It's a long story."

Daryl looked over at Shane, who was storming through camp towards his tent, ignoring everyone. "Fine." Daryl said, turning and heading up to Shane car. Before he got too far away he turned back to Rick, "Hey Rick?" Rick turned to look back at Daryl, "Were you wrong," Daryl asked, pointing at the tent where Shane had just escaped to, "about being able to control him?"

Rick looked at Daryl for a minute. Finally he nodded, sighing. That was all Rick had to do, and Daryl could put the pieces together. He had known it was a bad idea to let Shane and Rick go out on their own. Next time, he would have to stick to his instincts on these things. Shane just couldn't be trusted anymore.

/

Serena had laid Amy out on the table in the RV, on top of a towel. She was dipping a wash cloth into the warm water in the rain basin and then wiping Amy down with it. Amy hated it. She would be perfectly content sprawled out on the towel naked until Serena would rub the cloth on her, at which time her whole face would scrunch up she would start to cough, almost like she was threatening to cry. The trick was to only wipe her for a few seconds at a time, so that her fake cries never actually turned into real cries.

Serena jumped when she heard the door to the RV open, she hadn't been expecting anyone. She turned to see Shane standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up at her. His face was red like it had been hit, and he had blood on all his clothes.

He rubbed his head and looked at her, "Hey, uh, sorry, if your busy I can come back."

Serena shook her head, turning back to Amy, wrapping the towel around her and lifting her up against her chest, "No, it's OK, come in." She had almost been done Amy's bath anyways, "What's up." She motioned at the bench seat at the table for him to sit down.

He sat, watching her hold Amy with one hand and clean up from her bath with the other, "I just had a bad day," Shane sighed, putting his elbow on the table and holding up his head, "I was ready to just go to bed, but I realized I hadn't seen you yet today."

She smiled down at him, he had made a habit of coming to visit her every day since Amy was born, and she thought he probably enjoyed his time with Amy too.

Serena smiled at held Amy out to Shane. Shane leaned back in his seat and took Amy in his arms like a football. He had been completely nervous the first time Serena had handed her to him, but now he was getting pretty comfortable, though he still wasn't willing to stand up with her in his arms yet. Amy's eyes were half closed and Shane rocked her back and forth, watching them fall shut the rest of the way.

"What happened?" Serena asked, sitting down at the table across from him.

Shane looked at her for a moment, not sure how much he wanted to tell her. Finally he sighed, "Rick and I got into it."

Serena sighed, "Knew that was gunna happen. Is that why your face is all beat up?" She pointed at him. Shane nodded, just remembering that his face was still bloody and red. Serena shrugged, "So is it over with now?"

Shane frowned at her, "Is what over with?"

"Your little feud with Rick." She said to him with frustration, "Did you solve it?"

Shane looked at Serena, "My 'little feud'?" He shook his head, "Yeah, we solved it." He looked down at Amy and smiled, "But, I mean, is it so wrong?" He looked up at Serena, "To want this," He motioned down at Amy, "with her." He said, referring to Lori.

Serena shook her head and moaned. She didn't get it, "Does it have to be her?" She asked, "Why can't it be Andrea ... or anyone else but her for that matter."

Shane rolled his eyes at Serena. He had already explained to her that there was nothing going on with Andrea, and that their steamy hook-up in his car had been just exactly that, a hook-up, that's all. Shane chose to end that conversation by changing the subject, "And we brought that Randall kid back too, after him being the whole reason we went out there, we brought him back to camp with us." He shook his head, "Rick can't make up his mind with this kid."

Serena frowned, "You brought him back? Why?"

Shane shrugged, "Well we don't know anything about him, do we? We can't let him go if there's a chance he'll bring others back here."

"He doesn't know where this is." Serena said.

Shane shook his head, "But he does." Shane said, "He knows Maggie ... he went to school with her."

Serena sighed, "Oh."

"Yeah." Shane said, "We can't let him go until we're sure he won't bring harm back to camp."

"And how are we going to do that?" Serena asked.

Shane shrugged, "I guess someone will have to have a chat with him." He answered.

Serena looked at Shane, knowing exactly what he was meaning. She then looked back down at her baby, asleep in Shane's burly arms. The world around her was so scary, and all she knew was happiness and protection. She was so lucky.

/

**Awe, Shane & Serena – BFFS. Seriously, if Serena weren't with Daryl I'd ship her with Shane. But Shane is still crazy, and unfortunately that means I'll probably have to kill him off too ... though I really don't want to ...**

**Anyways, comments always appreciated.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Here's another one for you guys. Wow, you guys are probably loving the role that I'm on, three days in a row I have something new for you. That's just how much I love you guys ... and this story. **

**I own nothing :(**

/

Daryl stood over Randall huffing. The kid was sitting on the ground of the shed groaning, his hands tied behind his back and his feet were tied too. Daryl just wanted the fucking kid to talk. If he'd just do that then Daryl could leave him alone. But the stupid guy was stubborn.

Daryl sighed, before winding up and taking a few more swings, his fist connecting perfectly with the kid's jaw, the kid turning his head in pain, "Ohhh." He whined. Shit that had to hurt.

Daryl stood up straight, letting the sting set in while the kid huddled as close to the wall of the shed as he could. Randall horked up blood onto the dirt ground of the shed, "Common man."

Daryl shrugged, "You ain't told me shit, man." He leaned down and grabbed a hold of Randall shirt, pulling him up into a sitting position against the wall roughly, "Now, tell me about the group you were with." Daryl ordered.

Randall's head spun, "I don't know shit about those guys! I only met them on the road." He took deep breaths and spoke slowly.

Daryl was concerned he might be loosing consciousness, but he was talking finally, "How many in your group?" Daryl asked, squatting down to look Randall in the eyes. He rubbed his knuckles on the hand he had just connected with Randall's face.

Randall turned his head away from Daryl, avoiding eye contact. Daryl cleared his throat and reached for the hunting knife at his side. He had hoped he wouldn't have to use it, and even as he pulled the blade out, showing it to Randall, he hoped he still wouldn't actually have to.

"No, no, no." Randall pleaded, "Common man."

Daryl pounded the shed wall beside the kid's head, "How many!"

"Th-th-thirty. Thirty. Thirty guys, OK!"

Daryl started to run the blade of the knife down Randall's leg, pushing down harder with each inch he moved, pretty soon it would be breaking skin, "Where?" Daryl growled.

"I-I-I don't know. I swear. We were never anywhere for more than a night." Randall cried as he stared down at the knife in Daryl's hands.

Daryl shook his head, "But you were scouting. Planning on stayin' local?"

Randall shook in terror, "I don't know. Really."

Daryl stopped pushing his knife down Randall's leg and held it up, real close to Randall's face, "You better start telling me what you do know."

Randal nodded, "They have weapons, guns – automatic. You do not wanna mess with these guys. B-b-but I didn't do anything to you, man."

Daryl shook his head, "The men you were travelling with threatened us, threatened to take this farm, take us down. They were ready to murder us." Daryl was sure to leave his family out of the conversation, he didn't want the kid knowing he had a weakness. He snorted, "And you, you were just along for the ride? You expect me to believe your innocent?" Daryl was simple, not stupid. There was more to this kid than he was letting on.

"Yes!" Randall pleaded, "Look, these people took me in. I was alone and they took me in. Not just men, a group, with men and women, and kids too. Just like you people." He looked over at Daryl, his eyes were pleading to him, "I thought that I would have better chance with them ... but, we'd go out and scavenge, just the men ..." Daryl stood up, stepping back from the kid as he went on with his story, "One night we, we found this little camp sight with a man and his two daughters. Teenagers you know, real young?" Daryl nodded quickly, knowing where this story was headed, "These guys, they ..." Randall faded for a moment, just staring at the dirt ground in front of him.

Daryl just stared down at the kid. His mind was all over the place. Why had he signed up for this? Oh yeah, because Rick had asked, and Daryl loved to confirm his place in the group.

Daryl rubbed his forehead as Randall continued his story, "They made the Dad watch too." Daryl froze, for the first time thinking about how that would have felt, as a father. He thought he might be sick. He turned away from Randall, who at this point was spilling his guts, "And these guys, they didn't even kill them afterwards. They made him watch his daughters, and then they just left them there afterwards."

Daryl stood with his back to Randall listening to the story. He was fuming, and the anger was building inside him with every word. These people, they were sick, and he wasn't going to allow them anywhere near his girls. His arms were at his side, his hands in fists. Once Randall stopped talking Daryl turned around and grabbed him by the shirt, picking him up and throwing him across the small shed fiercely, "Arhh." He screamed as Randall hit the wall on the other side of the room with force.

"Jesus!" Randall screamed, pulling himself into a ball on the ground, the only defensive move he could make, "Look man, I didn't do any of that! I didn't touch those girls!" Daryl came towards him, huddled on the ground. Daryl didn't make another move, he just stood there staring down at Randall with anger. He was way too emotional for this right now, he needed to take a break. In fact, Daryl had heard enough, these guys were no good and if that meant Randall had to die then so be it.

"I'm not like that ... you gotta believe me, I'm not like that." Randall shook on the ground below him.

Daryl kicked the kid once, hard. Then he turned and walked out of the shed. He rubbed his knuckles as he walked across the yard towards the campsite, where Rick and Shane were standing watching him come towards them, like they had been there waiting for him the whole time.

Daryl shook his head as he came towards them, "There is no way in hell we want that kid bringing his gang back here."

Shane looked at Daryl with surprise, "You got him to talk?"

Daryl cleared his throat and then looked over at Rick, "He's with a crew of more then thirty men. They have heavy artillery, and they ain't looking to make friends." He rubbed his eyes, "He told me stuff ... we don't want to chance them rolling through here. Us men, we'll be dead, but our women ..." He shook his head again, "well lets just say, they're gunna wish they were."

Rick sighed and looked down. He then put an arm out and patted Daryl on his shoulder, "Thanks man."

Shane just stared at Rick, "So what are we gunna do, Rick?"

"Do we have any choice? He's a threat." Daryl said, looking at the two men.

The three of them looked at each other. They all knew what had to be done, but it would be explaining it to the others that would probably be the hard part.

/

Amy had had a fussy morning, and it had taken Serena a surprising amount of time to get her settled down and happy. Even during her feeding, she would drink small amount at a time before releasing and starting up a fuss. But Serena had to keep in mind that the little girl was only a week old, and there would probably be days like this.

Serena wrapped her up in a baby blanket now, as she had started to quiet down. Daryl must have gotten up early, because he had sneaked out before Serena had been woken up by Grumpy. She opened the door to the RV to the bright sunshine, it was a beautiful day.

She cradled Amy her arms and looked around. Most of the campers were sitting around the camp fire. Maggie was there with them, standing up when she saw Serena.

Maggie walked over to a basket and picked out an apple, "Here, I brought some apples over for you guys. Fresh." Serena smiled and took the apple from her, taking a bite. Maggie leaned towards her, "She's so cute. Do you think I could hold her?"

Serena looked over at Maggie, unsure for a moment, though she had every reason to trust Maggie. She quickly got over her separation anxiety, handing Amy over to her, "Sure."

Maggie took the infant from her and walked back to her seat, beside Glenn. She sat down, looking down at the little girl, talking to her in a baby voice. Glenn leaned over, putting one arm around Maggie and waving down at Amy.

Serena rolled her eyes at their cuteness and took a good look around for her man, who was not sitting around the fire with everyone else. She finally spotted him up towards the house, having a little pow-wow with Rick and Shane from the looks of it. He had a very serious look on his face and was nodding at something that Rick was saying. Suddenly his gave moved to meet hers. A smiled grew on her face and she waved over at him. He smiled a little, but then his attention went back to Rick.

Serena turned to the fire, sitting down in a free seat beside Andrea. She took another bite of her apple as Rick, Shane and Daryl joined the rest of the group at the fire.

Daryl walked over beside Serena, her eye catching the blood on his knuckles, "What happened?" She blurted out, reaching over for his hand.

Daryl pulled his hand away from her quickly, "Nothing." He said quickly, "I'm fine."

Serena frowned over at him, confused. Rick started to speak before she was able to take the conversation any father, "Look everyone, I've made a decision about Randall."

Dale looked up at Rick from where he was sitting at the fire, "A decision?"

Rick nodded, "Randall is a threat. And so, we have to eliminate the threat."

"You mean kill him." Dale stated.

"Wait. Wait." Andrea stood up, "How do we know he's a threat."

Rick sighed and looked down at the ground, then he looked over at Daryl. Daryl shuffled the dirt around on the ground in front of him, clearing his throat.

Serena looked over at him, connecting his bloody hand with the situation in her head. Serena searched for his eyes, but he was avoiding her. "Daryl," She said quietly, "what did you do?"

Daryl looked over at Serena finally, looking sorry. He shrugged, "We had a little chat." He told her.

"Huh." Serena said, looking away from Daryl.

Everyone else in the group was watching her, but she wasn't going to react. She and Daryl would talk about this, but not here. Her relationship with Daryl was exactly that, their relationship, and is wasn't anybody's business. She folded her arms and looked over at Rick, "So what's the plan."

"It's settled, we'll do it today." Rick said, looking around, "No one goes near him until then, understand." Rick then turned and walked away from them all, Dale following behind him in hot pursuit.

Serena sat back in her seat, taking another bit of her apple, ignoring Daryl's towering presence beside her. Finally Daryl moved across the fire towards Maggie who was still holding Amy. Without saying anything he leaned down and put his arms out. Before Maggie was able to pass his daughter off to him Serena butted in, "Uh, go and wash yourself up first." She told him.

Daryl, Maggie, and everyone else still sitting around the fire froze and looked at her. She sighed at pointed at him, "You have that kid's blood all over you."

Daryl sighed and shook his head, standing up. Amy stared up at him with bright eyes, like she was starting to recognize him. Daryl looked over at Serena again. She didn't seem mad at him, she just looked ashamed. Daryl hated that he'd hurt her, but he would do anything to keep her and Amy safe.

He marched back across the fire to where she was sitting, taking both her hands, "Come with me." He said, pulling her up.

She protested, still trying to be angry with him, "No, Daryl. Go get cleaned up." She tried to pull her arms hands away from him, but he had a firm grip.

He smiled, "I will, just come with me." He pulled her to her feet, pulling her body towards him, "I want to explain myself." He whispered into her ear.

Serena stopped fighting him, and he released his grip on her hands. She put one of her hands on his chest and smiled up at him nodding, "Fine." She then looked over at Glenn and Maggie, who were sitting watching with with confused faces. Serena smiled at them, assuring them that everything was OK, "Can you watch her? Just for a bit?"

Maggie nodded, ricking Amy back and forth, "Sure, she seems pretty content." She looked back down at the little girl.

"We got this." Glenn said, giving Serena a thumbs up.

She and Daryl then turned, leaving the rest of the group to make their judgements.

The two of them entered the RV, Daryl going right to the back of the RV, pulling his shirt up over his head and throwing in the pile of clothes that they already had in there. Serena pulled out a bucket from a cupboard and filled it with water from a canister on the counter. She then grabbed a cloth and started to soak it.

Daryl came up beside her and she grabbed his hand, placing it over the bucket and drizzling water down over top of it. She dabbed the wounds on his knuckles with the cloth, but as the water started to wash the blood away she was relieved to see that most of it wasn't his at all.

He was quiet for a few minutes while she wiped him down, the cloth travelling up his arm. She turned to face him, looking up at him. She was waiting for him to start talking, she had come in here for an explanation.

Finally Daryl cleared his throat and started to explain, "When Rick and I went to fetch Hershel last week-"

"Right before Amy was born." Serena said.

Daryl nodded, "Right. Well when we were in the bar these two guys came in. At first they seemed fine, but it came pretty clear to Rick and I that they were bad news. Then they started to ask us where our camp was, who was with us ... if we had women. They threatened to take over the camp if we didn't welcome them in." He shook his head and looked down at her. She stopped dabbing him with the cloth and just listened to him, "I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't risk anyone coming in here and hurting you." He looked down at his feet, "So I killed them ... before they could kill us." He finally said.

Serena just continued to stare up at him. She was relieved. She had known something had been bothering him since that day, but she hadn't had any idea what it could have been until now. He had killed people, people that were alive. And finally he had told her the truth about it. She put the cloth down and then wrapped both her arms around his stomach, turning her head and resting it on his chest.

He let out a sigh of relief and wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, hugging him tightly. It felt like a huge weight lifted off of him, to know that Serena knew the truth, and still loved him despite what he had done. Serena breathed in and back out slowly, "I'm so glad you told me." She said quietly to him.

"You see now," Daryl continued to hold her, "that's why I interrogated Randall. He was with those guys. He's part of a gang of at least thirty of those guys. And we wouldn't know that if I hadn't made Randall talk." He cleared his throat and started to whisper, "The kid, he told me about things these guys have done to women, to little girls," Daryl said in disgust, "I'm not taking a chance of letting him go so he can lead his buddies back here to you and Amy." Serena moved her head and looked up at him, nodding. Daryl knew that she understood now, "I'll do anything and everything that I have to to keep you safe." He told her finally, staring down at her.

She stood up on her tiptoes then, reaching up and grabbing the back of his head, bringing it down to meet her lips. She kissed him deeply, making sure that he still knew just how much she loved him.

/

**There we have it. Another one down. I hope I did Daryl's interrogation justice. I didn't like that he had to do it, even in the show, but it was definitely something I had to include. Hope you all enjoyed it ... as much as you can enjoy and interrogation, lol.**

**Comment all.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hello all. Hows the separation anxiety coming along, seeing as our first Sunday night just passed without TWD :( Well here's another little something to get you through. Enjoy.**

**I own nothing.**

/

Shane was sitting in a folding chair beside the picnic table holding Amy while Serena stood at the table folding clothes. She had taken it upon herself to do a round of laundry. Shane's feet were up on the bench of the table and he was leaning back comfortably. Serena had fed Amy only a little while ago, so she was passed right out in one of Shane's big arms. Serena was singing out loud while folded clothes, and she was watching as Shane dozed in and out of a slumber himself.

"Shane!" She finally said, snapping at him. His head snapped up straight and he looked at her, a little dazed. She laughed, "Don't drop the baby." She told him, nodding at Amy in him arms.

Shane looked down at Amy, mouth hanging wide open, still in complete slumber. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand, "Naw, she's like a little football. I'd be able to keep a hold on her, even in my sleep."

Serena shook her head, "I'm not willing to chance it." She smiled at him, "Why are you so tired?"

He shrugged, "I couldn't sleep last night, after what happened with Rick yesterday." He sighed, "I guess I had a lot to think about." He told her.

Serena nodded, going back to folding clothes while she talked to him, "I guess so." She was done with all the Shane/Lori/Rick drama at this point. She loved Shane, but Lori was a dreadful woman most of the time and she just couldn't wrap her head around why not only Shane, but both these men had fallen for her.

Dale came out of the RV and approached the two of them with a smile on his face. He nodded, "Hello." He looked over at Serena first, "I need a favour."

Serena nodded before he could ask, "Sure. What do you need?"

Dale looked over at Shane cautiously, but then went on, "I was hoping you'd side with me on this whole Randall thing. I think we should just let the kid go." Dale was talking to Serena again.

Shane laughed, "It doesn't matter what you say old man, Rick's already decided."

"Well I spoke to Rick, and he's given me until tonight to talk to everyone." Dale darted back, "Besides, I wasn't asking you, I think its pretty clear where you stand." Dale turned his head and looked back at Serena. Shane rolled his eyes and looked back down at Amy.

Serena sighed, "Dale, I'm sorry, but-"

"Don't tell me your with them?" Dale asked, frowning, "You don't actually believe this kid could be a threat do you?"

Serena shrugged, thinking about what Daryl had told her this morning. She looked over at Amy for a moment before continuing, "Daryl thinks this guys in dangerous. That's enough for me." She said, looking at Dale, "I'm not going to put Amy at risk, I'm sorry."

The old man looked hurt, looking down at the ground nodding. He sighed, "I thought you were more of an independent thinker than that."

"I used to be, sure." Serena said nodding, "But then I became a mother." She told him, "I'm sorry, but my mind is made up."

Dale sighed and turned to look at Shane, who was just smiling and shaking his head, "You should stop now, you're only setting yourself up for more disappointment." Dale grumbled something under his breath before walking away.

Serena sighed, picking up another piece of laundry. She would like to be able to help Dale, but in this case she just couldn't. Unfortunately she had a feeling that the old man would not be able to forget this for a while.

/

Daryl was in the barn helping Rick to scout out where to hang Randall. At this point they were conserving all the ammo they had, and Daryl had suggested a good ol' fashion hanging. Rick was up in on the second floor, with Daryl on the ground below. Rick had the rope in his hand, and was looking around for a sturdy plank.

Daryl was looking around at the space, "It will be starting to get cold at night. This place would be perfect, we could stack the hay bales against the walls for extra insulation. We could station lookouts up top at the windows. And we'd be all together in this big room, which would probably be safer. And this centre part here is open enough to have a fire." Daryl held his arms out, and turning around in a circle.

Rick was looking down at him nodding, "You know, that's a pretty good idea. That way we aren't intruding on Hershel and his family more." He smiled, "I'll talk to him about it."

Daryl nodded, pleased with himself. He then wandered into the back of the barn, under the rafters, scooping out a space for him and his girls. Everyone might all be sharing the barn, but they would have their own space. At least they'd better. In the back corner was a horse stall, but it had been swept out, and there was wood stored in it. He smiled, he would pile the wood somewhere else and this would be their room. He started grabbing 4 or 5 logs at a time and hauling them out of the stall and piling them on the outside wall.

While he was working Lori came in above him, and started talking to Rick. It occurred to Daryl that she probably didn't know he was there, but he just kept working quietly. "Is that really the best way to do this, to string him up?" Lori asked him.

"I have no idea. It's my first time." Rick told her, "It was just a suggestion."

"For who?" Lori retorted.

Daryl winced, but Rick didn't answer Lori. Thank goodness, the last thing Daryl needed was to hear her bitch about him while he was working below. Rick sighed, "Look, I know how you feel about the death penalty, but the world has changed."

"I know that." She told him, "And after everything that's happened, you and Shane agree on this."

"So you agree with this decision?" Rick asked her.

She was silent for a moment before answering, "If you think it's best." She then started to walk out.

"Oh, and I was thinking," Rick told her, before she was able to leave, "The night's will be getting colder, and we're pretty exposed. We could clear this barn out, post lookouts."

Lori was quiet again, probably looking around at the dusty barn in disgust, "Uhhh." She finally said.

Daryl didn't have to see Lori's face to know she was not happy with the decision. Rick sighed, "Or I could talk to Hershel about letting us stay in the house?"

"Yeah, that's better." She said, "Sorry hun, I'm not a farm animal." And then she was gone.

Daryl waited a few moments before he stepped out from under the flooring and looked up at Rick.

Rick hand his head hung, just staring down at the ground. When he noticed Daryl and remembered he had been down there he shook his head, "The barn idea didn't go over well." He said.

Daryl frowned, "Geez man, did we vote you leader, or her?" Rick just stared down at Daryl in frustration. Daryl just shook his head and walked away from Rick, who was lost in thought.

/

Daryl and Serena entered Hershel's house as the sun was setting in the sky. Daryl hand one arm tightly wrapped around Serena's, the other was holding Amy's bassinet with Amy already in it. She wasn't asleep yet, but Serena had fed her a little while ago, so he suspected he'd be seeing her eyelid's close at any time.

Everyone was gathering in the living room. Serena sat down in a large red chair around the outside of the room. Daryl placed the bed down at her feet and then stood behind her. Almost everyone was there. Lori looked around, "Has anyone seen Carl?"

Daryl shrugged, "He was down by the barn earlier, but I haven't seen him since."

"He was actually quiet mean to me earlier," Carol spoke up, "He told me there was no such thing as Heaven, and when I set him straight he walked away from me in a huff."

Lori's mouth dropped and she looked at Rick. Rick shook his head, "Carol, I'm so sorry."

Carol shrugged, "It's not your fault. But you need to talk to your boy." She told him.

Lori looked over at Carol rather insulted, "Yes, thank you Carol, I'll address it with him later." She told her.

Dale walked into the house then with Carl a head of him. Lori sighed when she saw him, "Carl, common now, go into the kitchen with Jimmy. We are gunna have a little discussion later about how you spoke to Carol today." She patted the top of his hat.

Carl looked around, "I can't stay?"

Rick shook his head, "No. This is a conversation for adults."

Carl moaned, but turned and let the room. Lori looked at Dale, "Thanks Dale."

Dale just shrugged and joined everyone else.

"So how do we do this?" Glenn asked, "Do we take a vote or something?"

Rick nodded, "Yeah, lets first see where everyone stands, and then we can talk through the options."

"Well, the way I see it," Shane spoke up, "there's only one way to move forward."

"Killing him, right?" Dale asked in disgust, "Why even bother taking a vote?" He asked with dismay, "It's pretty obviously which way it's gunna go."

"Well if there are people that want him to be spared," Rick said, "then I want to know about it."

Dale shrugged, "Well it's a small group ..." He looked around, "Maybe just me." He finally said.

Serena's heart sank for him. He felt like they were all loosing their humanity, and he hadn't been able to find one person to be on his side. This would not sit well with Dale.

"He's not one of us." Shane spoke up again, "And we've lost too many already. You're asking us to risk out lives letting him go."

"So your answer is to kill him to prevent a crime that he may never even attempt?" Dale pleaded. He shook his head, holding back tears, "If we do this ... we are saying that there is no hope. Rule of law is dead. There is no civilization."

Shane rolled his eyes, "Oh my god."

Hershel looked to Rick, "Could you take him further out, let him go there?"

"And risk our people?" Daryl spoke up, "Look, we've been talking about this all day. We've just been goin' around in circles, do you wanna go around again, or are we gunna do this?" He looked at Rick.

Dale stomped his foot, "This is a mans life!" He shook his head and looked around at everyone, "Is this what we've come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with him? How are we any better then these people we are so afraid of?" Dale gripped onto his hat tightly and looked around the room for someone's support. He turned to Rick, "You once said that we don't kill the living."

Rick nodded, "That was before the living tried to kill us."

Dale shook, "But don't you see, if we do this then the people we are, the world we grew up in, it's dead. It's all dead." He looked disgusted, "And this new world, it's ugly, it's harsh, it's ...survival of the fittest. And that's a world I don't want to live in. I can't." He looked around at the others, looking Serena right in the eyes, "I don't think that any of you do. Please ... lets just do what was right. Isn't anyone gunna support me"

Serena had to restrain herself from standing up and joining Dale in his crusade. It was so sad to watch him break down and plead for this stranger's life. She sighed and looked down, not able to look at him anymore. Daryl, still standing behind her, reached down and put on hand on her shoulder. She felt slightly comforted, but she still felt for her poor friend.

Finally Dale took a deep breath, after no one said a word to support him. Rick looked at Dale apologetically. Dale snorted, "Are you all gunna watch too." He shook his head, "Naw, you'll all go hide you heads in your tent and pretend your slaughtering a human being." He looked around, "Well I'm sorry, but I won't be a party to it. This group ..." He sighed and looked back at Rick, "This group is broken." He then turned and walked out.

After Dale left the room was silent, everyone cautious to even breath. Finally Amy broke the silence with her cries, jerking Serena out of her thoughts. She bent over and pick Amy up. Daryl reached down for her, "She probably needs a change." He said.

Serena nodded, passing the infant off to him willingly. Daryl was willing right now to do diaper changes, about Serena suspected the novelty would wear off so she was taking advantage of it while she could. Daryl disappeared around the corned, taking Amy into the bedroom where it was more private.

The group in the living room started to disperse. Across from Serena sat Andrea, still just sitting in her chair staring blankly at the space in front of her. "Hey." Serena said, snapping her out of it, "You OK?"

Andrea looked at her, "Maybe I should have said something." She said, "What would it have hurt if one other person sided with him?"

Serena sighed, thinking the same thing. She nodded, "He'll forgive us."

Andrea shrugged, "I hope so." She didn't seem so sure.

/

**Awe poor Dale. I just felt so sorry for him during this scene. He was one of my favs and I will miss him ... alot! Anyways, I need to ready myself for the next chap. cuz its sure to be a sad one.**

**Comment all.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hi guys, here's a huge one for you. I have to warn you all, I got carried away at the end and so I'm gunna have to change my rating. Some of you will enjoy, others may not. I leave a little warning before the M Rated stuff comes up, so those for those of you that want to skip over that stuff, you can. Just go on to the next chappy without all the fun stuff, lol. **

**Neways, I hope you all enjoy. I own nothing. **

/

Daryl pushed Randall across the field towards the barn. The kid was scared, mumbling to them and looking a Daryl worried. He could tell something was up. Rick had made the decision that shooting Randall was a more humane way to kill him. Serena had gone out to the RV to put Amy to bed and the others were waiting out by the fire for them to go through with it.

Rick opened the door to the barn and Daryl pushed Randall in a head of him, letting him go. Shane caught up with him, grabbing him from behind.

Randall struggled, looking over at Daryl with a worried look, "What? ... No ... Wait ..." He was scared and confused and looking to the three men for answers.

Shane shhhed him, pulling out a black rag and wrapping it over his eyes, "It'll all be over soon."

Daryl looked over at Rick, who had his revolver out and was giving it a once over. Rick then looked over at Daryl and shrugged. This decision had been something they both agreed on, but yet they were still having a hard time going through with it.

Shane finally let Randall go, standing on the far side of him from Daryl. The boy hing his head and started to cry, he knew what was coming. He sighed and begged them not to, shaking with fear.

Rick stood in front of the helpless kid with his gun aimed at his head. He was trying to work himself up to pulling the trigger. "Would you like to stand or kneel?" He stalled.

The kid didn't answer, he just shook his head and cried. He didn't want to choose. He didn't want to die at all. Daryl made the decision for him, pushing his foot at the back of Randall's knees, causing him to fall to ground. Daryl then crossed his arms and looked back up at Rick. It was time to get this over with, rather then drag it out.

"Oh common, man." Randall sobbed.

Rick looked over at Shane, who nodding at him with encouragement. Rick sighed, "Do you have any last words?" Rick asked.

Randall just shook his head, "Nooo, please, just don't do this." He begged again. Rick cocked his gun, the sound causing the kid to start hyper-ventilating.

Suddenly, from behind Daryl, Carl called out to his father, "Do it, Dad." Rick, Shane and Daryl all shot their heads to look at him, standing in the door to the barn, glaring at Rick, "Do it." He insisted.

Daryl turned on his heel, walking towards Carl, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him out of the barn into the cool night air, "Where the hell does your mother think you are." Daryl grumbled to him.

Carl struggled to free himself from Daryl firm grip on his arm, "Hey." He protested, "Let me go."

Shane came out of the barn behind the two of them, "Get your hand's off him." He warned Daryl.

Daryl stopped, letting go of Carl and turning to glare at Shane. Shane looked pissed, but sighed and looked at Carl, "Are you kidding me?" Shane asked Carl angrily. He then looked back at Daryl, "Go back and help Rick."

Daryl stormed away from the two of them, back into the barn. Rick was still standing over a kneeling Randall, but he was putting his gun back in its holder.

"What's going on?" Daryl asked.

Rick shook his head, looked over at Daryl, "Take him away." He mumbled, "Just ... take him away."

Daryl frowned, "But wait ..." He pointed at Randall, about to go into the reasons why they were going to kill him again.

"Daryl," Rick interrupted, "Do you see what this word is doing to my son?" He pointed at the door to the barn, shaking his head.

Daryl sighed, nodding. He didn't say another word, he just moved forward, picking Randall up off the ground and pulling him towards the door of the barn, taking him back up to the shed where they were holding him.

As he left the barn Shane turned to look at them, "Where you taking him?"

"Back up to the shed." Daryl answered.

"What!" Shane said, pissed. He looked inside the barn at Rick, who was still struggling with what had just happened. Shane took a deep breath, "Coward." He mumbled under his breath.

/

Serena looked up at Daryl with surprise as he entered the RV. She had just put Amy down and was on her way back outside to join the others. "Hi." She reached out, wrapping her arms around his centre and pulling him into a hug, "You OK?" She asked him, only imagining what he had just witnessed.

Daryl hugged her back, rocking back and forth and sighing, "Yeah. Fine." He cleared his throat, "Randall is still alive."

Serena stopped, pulling back and looking up at him, "What?"

Daryl shrugged, "Rick couldn't do it." He shook his head, "Carl fallowed us out to the barn. He wanted to watch us do it. It really messed Rick up."

Serena put a hand to her chest, "I can imagine." She shook her head, "So now what's the plan?"

"I have no idea." He answered, "I guess he'll remain out prisoner for now." He finally said. He then looked back into the dark back room, "Amy asleep?"

"Yes." Serena nodded.

He moved around her, heading for the bedroom, "I just want to kiss her goodnight." He said.

Serena nodded, heading down the stairs to outside, "Don't wake her up."

She stepped out of the RV to see the others gathered around the fire. Rick was standing talking to Lori, probably explaining what had happened. Serena shook her head, it seemed Carl was becoming someone to worry about.

She had almost made it to the others, sitting at the fire, when screamed filled the air. Serena froze, looking around. The calls were coming from a distance, but they were definitely near by. Lori turned, looking for Carl. Shane, T-Dog and Rick looked around for their weapons.

Serena turned back to the RV. Daryl came through the door just as she was reaching it. He looked around with worry, "What is it?"

Serena shook her head, "I don't know."

Then Serena heard Andrea off in the field, "Dale!" She screamed.

Serena looked at Daryl, "Oh my god, Dale."

Daryl pulled his knife out of his belt holder and looked at her, "Go inside. Stay with Amy." He grabbed he hand, "Got your gun?" He asked. She nodded, lifting her shirt to show her gun, hanging around her waist. He smiled then opened the door, "Good. Stay inside, and keep sharp." She listened to him, climbing up into the camper.

Daryl grabbed a lantern that was sitting on the picnic table and then took off into the field. He ran in the direction of Dale's screams. He ran down towards an outer field where cows usually graze, though he didn't see any tonight.

As he got closer to the screams he could see two bodies on the ground struggling. Dale was on his back, pushing up on the walker that had pinned him. Daryl tackled the walker, pushing him off of Dale, who was screaming out in pain. The walker was disoriented, and Daryl grabbed what was left of it's hair, holding the head up straight. He then plunged his bead right into the top of his it's head. The flailing body went limp as the walker dropped to the ground and Daryl pulled his blade out of it's skull.

He then turned to Dale, dropping to on knee beside him. Dale was staring up at Daryl in shock, unable to speak. He chest had been ripped open but the monster and he was bleeding out onto the grass. Daryl stood up, waving his arms at the flash lights headed his way, "HELP!" He screamed, "Over here." The others started to run towards him quickly.

"Who is it?" Rick asked, being on of the first to reach him, not needing an answer. His mouth dropped when he saw Dale laying in the field, crying out in pain. He dropped to his knees at the old man's side.

As Andrea came close Daryl put out and arm to her, "Andrea ..." He wanted to stop her, to tell her not to look. But he knew how hard headed Andrea was, it was no use.

"What?" Andrea said, looking at him wide eyed before turning to look at the man on the ground, "Oh my god!" She fell to her knees on the other side of Dale, reaching out for his hand, sobbing, "Dale, look at me." She spoke to him, "It's going to be alright."

Dale stopped screamed and turned him head to look at Andrea. She looked down at her hand as his grip on her tightened. He was scared, but he was happy she was there.

"Hershel!" Rick screamed, "We need Hershel."

Daryl winced, looking down at the hole in Dale's stomach. Hershel was not going to be able to do anything for him. Daryl rubbed the back of his head and turned away from the the group who were all concerned about Dale. He froze as he saw Serena headed down towards them.

Daryl walked towards her, shaking his head, "What are you doing?" He asked her, putting himself in front of her, stopping her from going any closer.

"Carol is with Amy. I heard you scream for help. What's going on?" She asked with a look of worry.

Daryl sighed and put and arm up around her shoulders, turning a guiding her towards Dale. As soon as Serena saw the situation she let Daryl's side, collapsing to her knees beside Andrea.

Serena started to ball, "Dale, no." She pleaded.

Hershel arrived in a hurry, looking down at Dale. Rick looked at him, "Thank god, we need your help. He needs an operation."

A look of sorrow spread across Hershel's face and he looked over at Rick, "Rick, he's not going to make it." He said quietly.

"NO!" Serena and Andrea both shouted up in unison. Dale couldn't die, he was like their conscience. Jesus, Dale was like everyone's father, and they still needed that.

Serena shook her head, leaning down and kissing Dale on the forehead, "Dale, I'm so sorry." She whispered, "We love you." She assured him.

Rick knelt down beside Dale, pulling out his revolver, still loaded from his intentions with Randall earlier. He sighed and looked around at the others, afraid to make this decision too.

Andrea shook her head and looked over at Rick, "He's suffering." She said.

Rick just held the gun out to Dale's head, staring at the suffering old man. He couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger.

Daryl hated seeing Dale suffer. He also hated seeing Serena suffer, watching Dale die. He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath, "Rick." He finally said, patting him on the arm. He then reached out, taking Rick's revolver from him. Rick looked up at Daryl, nodding. He then stood up, making room for Daryl to kneel down beside Dale.

Serena looked over at Daryl sobbing from emotion. He looked at her for a moment, searching for a sign that this was alright. Serena sighed and nodded at him, telling him to go ahead.

He then looked back down into Dale's wide eyes and Daryl could tell that even he wanted him to pull the trigger. Dale had accepted his fate, and was just waiting for someone to send him home. "I'm sorry, brother." Daryl said before pulling the trigger.

Serena and Andrea screamed, pulling away from Dale's body. Before Serena could collect herself Daryl was at her side, pulling her up off the ground. She leaned into him, burring her face in his shirt. She breathed him in and tried to forget that she probably had Dale's blood all over her, or that Dale was gone at all.

/

**(Rated M)**

Daryl and Serena stood in the main room of the RV. It was the same old RV, but it just seemed so empty without Dale.

Carol had just left, and Amy was in her bassinet in the bedroom asleep. Serena leaned back against the counter at the sink, folding her arms across her chest and taking a deep breath. Daryl did the same, leaning back against the table across from her, staring over at her.

The hadn't really spoken yet. They were both sort of in shock. They knew they only had a few more hours before Amy would be up again, and they should probably be spending the time sleeping, but neither of them could bring themselves to go to bed.

Daryl looked into Serena's face, trying to read her. He was still worried about her, and afraid that she may be angry at him, even though she had agreed with ending Dale's suffering. "I'm sorry." He told her.

She looked at him for a moment, frowning. She then stood up, stepping forward, "No." She said, shaking her head. She reached out, putting both her hands up and pushing his hair back out of his face, letting her fingers massage his scalp. She kissed him on the forehead, "I'm so sorry that you had to be the one to do that tonight."

He leaned his head back and kissed her again on the lips. Relief flooded over him, realizing that anger was the last thing she was feeling towards him. "I hated seeing him suffer like that." He explained.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and nodded. She sniffed a little, but held back tears. She sighed, "I just wish he'd been able to speak, to tell us he was alright with the decision."

He looked down for a minute, "He lifted his head." He finally said. She looked at him with question, so he explained, "When pointed the gun at him, he lifted his head towards it. He wanted me to do it too."

Serena sighed, leaning her forehead against his, "Thank you." She said to him quietly, moving her hands along his shoulders and around to his chest.

He reached his hands out and around her, pulling her by her hips against him, still leaning back against the table. He put his head on her shoulder and kissed her neck lightly. He loved feeling her warmth against him. He wanted her close tonight.

She leaned her head back and giggled, lightening the mood. When he realized he was tickling her he went at her neck with more purpose, even going for a little nip. She laughed out loud and tried to pull away from him, but her wrapped his big, burly arms around her, locking her against him.

He stopped and looked at her, her bright eyes showing a hint of happiness that usually filled them. She was beautiful, and he wanted to hold onto her forever. He loosened his grip on her a little, leaning in and kissing her on the lips. He pressed into her, pushing his tongue into her mouth. She wrapped an arm around his neck as his own arms unwrapped from her and moved up to grab her face, locking her to him.

He stood up straight, her moving backwards to let him move away from the table. He pushed her against the counter behind her, grinding his hips against hers. One of his hands slid down her front to her breast. He started to massage it as their kiss became more intense.

"Mmm." Serena moaned with satisfaction, pulling her mouth away from his for a breather. She looked at him, surprised. This was all him. He was pursuing this with full intention, and after what had happened earlier in the evening, it might be exactly what she needed.

He kissed her neck, travelling downwards along her neck line. She knew where he was headed, and she was pulling her shirt up and over her head before he had a chance to grab at it. Once her shirt was off she grabbed his head again, pulling him back in for another completely satisfying kiss. He moved his body against hers, still having her pinned between him and the counter.

They broke for their kiss again and Daryl pulled his own shirt over his head quickly before reaching down at her bum and hoisting her up so she was sitting on the edge of the counter. She ran one of her hands down his naked chest, as he stood in front of her, her legs wrapped around him.

He unhooked her bra, with only a little struggle, tossing it to the ground with little patience. He then leaned in, putting his lips to one of her nipples, playing with it with his tongue. She leaned back a little, letting out low moans while he used his free to play with her free breast. She had been waiting for this for such a long time.

While Daryl's tongue made circles around Serena breast his hands moved down to her pants, pulling at the button. He then lifted his head from a breather, wrapping his hands around her butt and pulling her towards him. He lifted her off the table, holding her up around his waist.

He turned, heading down the hall, as she leaned in as started to suck on his neck. She then stopped him, reaching out and grabbing onto the doorway to the bedroom, "Amy." She reminded him.

He stopped, considering his options for a moment. This was going to happen, he had already decided that much, but did he want to risk waking his daughter up? He smiled at her then, turning around and just dropping down to the ground of the hallway, laying Serena down below him, flat on her back.

She laughed as he put her down with a giant smirk on his own face. She reached up to him, hovering above her. He leaned in, kissing her deep. Once he broke there kiss she whispered into his ear, "I want you."

He didn't have to be told twice. Heck, he considered himself lucky he was being told once. He unzipped his own plants, pulling them down and off quickly, doing the same for hers. There wasn't much space in the hallway, but they were gunna make the best of it.

He was already hard and ready to go, having waited for this moment for far too long already. He hovered above her, just admiring her for a moment, naked, laying below him, as completely in love with him as he was with her. He then leaned down kissing her as he let his whole body sink into hers. She opened her legs, giving him room to enter into her. As he did, she let out a sigh of content.

He grind against her, gaining momentum as the moved back an forth along the floor. Serena arched her back up, letting out moans and running her hands along his back and through his hair. What she was feeling was complete ecstasy, a feeling she'd never gotten from being with anyone else. She moved with him, looking him in the eyes and trying to share his emotions.

He reached out, taking one of her hands and intertwining it with his. He kissed her again, but not for long, needing to be able to take steady breaths. He could feel them both reaching their peak, and he was ready.

As Serena called out with pleasure as she came to an orgasm, a ripple of satisfaction reaching all the way down to her toes. She smiled as Daryl came quickly after that, the two of them collapsing in a heap on the floor the the RV.

They lay together, breathing loudly, arms wrapped around each other. They didn't speak. They didn't need to. They felt more for each other then words could explain at that moment.

/

**Can I just say, I know that in the real world it would be far too early after giving birth for Serena to have sex but it was just totally worth it. And it was about time ... don't ya think?**

**I better get some comments for this one, OK ... **


	31. Chapter 31

**Hello guys, here's a new one for ya. It's back to sadness, while we say out final goodbyes to Dale :( Hope you guys like it.**

**I own nothing.**

/

Daryl stood with his arm around Serena, Amy resting calmly in her arms. They were gathered down near the barn where Sophia and the others had been buried not long ago. This morning they were laying Dale to rest. There was a grieving silence amongst the group as Shane and T-Dog lifted his body, wrapped in a blanket, out of the back of Otis' truck and lowered it into the awaiting hole at the end of the row.

Rick stood at the head of the grave, across from the others. He looked tired, and defeated as he sighed as Shane and T-Dog let go of the body and turned to join the rest of the group. Everyone then looked to him, waiting for him to say something.

Rick smirked, "Dale could get under your skin." He said bluntly, "He sure got under mine. But that's because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, or how he felt. I think that kind of honesty is rare, and brave." Rick looked up from the ground to look around at the faces of his followers. May of them had smiles on their faces remembering Dale as he was. Rick continued, "When ever I would make a decision I would look at Dale, and he'd be looking back at me with that look he had – we've all seen it one time or another."

Serena looked over at Andrea, remembering more then one time when Dale had given them that look. Andrea was looking over at her too, probably thinking the same thing. The girls smiled at each other. Andrea had a blank look on her face, but Serena was sure she wouldn't cry, she'd gotten her tears out the night before.

"I couldn't always read Dale, but he sure could read us. He saw people for what they were, he knew things about us ... the truth, who we really are. In the end he was talking about us, and how we are loosing our humanity. He told me that this group is broken. The best way to honour him is to unbreak it. We need to put aside our differences and pull together. We have to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives, our safety, our future. We're not broken." He stood proudly, "From now on, we'll do it his way. That is how we honour Dale." He nodded, concluding his speech.

Serena reached her far hand up and grabbed hold of the hand Daryl had draped around her shoulder. She squeezed it for reassurance as a few tears fell from her eyes. Everyone was silent, and for a while they all stood staring at Dale's grave, saying their individual good-byes. After a while people started to drift back up to camp, leaving Dale to rest under an old tree by the barn.

Serena had always considered herself a bit of an atheist, but on this day she found herself hoping that there was a God, and aHeaven. She wished it because she knew that if anyone deserved that, it would be Dale. It would be nice to think that after everything, he had finally found some sort of serenity.

/

As Daryl and Serena walked back towards the camper Daryl's mind was racing. They had taken the time to say goodbye to an old friend, but now it was time to get serious. There was a lot to do now that Walker's were appearing right in their back yard, and Daryl wasn't wanting to waste any time.

"We need to have a bug out bag for Amy." Daryl said, breaking their silence.

Serena looked at him, "A what?"

Daryl shrugged, "A bug out bag. A pre-packed bag of necessities in case we need to make a mad dash outta here." He explained.

She nodded, "Good plan. If we had to leave without her stuff, I don't know what we'd do." It would just be a disaster. Although she would find it difficult to fit all the things she found to be necessities into just one bag. "I'll go feed her, put her down, and then I can pack one." She nodded towards the RV.

Daryl noticed Rick, Shane, Hershel and a few others gathered around the picnic table, "OK, I'm gunna go see what's up." He nodded int there direction, letting go of her hand as she turned towards the RV, away from him.

Rick was looking over a map of the area, making a circle around the farm with his finger, "We need to set up a perimeter that we scout every day." Rick was saying, "I'd say a mile out in each direction. If we scan that area on a regular basis we can take down any walker's before they are right on our back porch."

"Speaking of the back porch," Hershel spoke up, "We think it would be best if you and the other's moved inside for the winter. With the creek beds drying up it will be easier for the walkers to stumble onto the land, and we've got 30 head of cattle out there." He shrugged, "I guess that's kind of like ringing a dinner bell."

Rick looked at Hershel, "That will be 15 people squeezed into your house."

Hershel smiled and shrugged, "Don't worry about that. We'll find room. Just start moving your stuff in." He turned and started walking up to the house.

Shane pointed back down at the map, "I'll take a few people out to do a sweep of the area now, if you want to stay and help everyone get settled up at the house."

Daryl looked at Shane, "I'll come with ya." He volunteered.

Shane looked at Daryl for a moment, but he was no idiot, he wanted Daryl on his team no matter ho he felt about him personally, "Sure. I'll ask Andrea too. And T-Dog." He said, completing his Walker-fighting team. He turned from the table to go get the other two, "I'll grab the others, meet me over at Otis' truck." He called to Daryl.

As Shane was walking away Rick called after him, "If you find any walkers, don't use your ammo. Take shovels and sticks with ya." Shane just waved a hand up in the air to indicate that he'd heard him. After Shane was out of ear shot Rick turned to Daryl, "When you get back, I'm gunna need you to come with me. We're gunna take Randall off site and cut him loose."

Daryl looked at Rick, "Let him go?"

"We're gunna do it Dale's way from now on." Rick said again.

Daryl grumbled, "So we're gunna take the risk? What's changed Rick? Dale is dead. That doesn't mean Randall is any less of a threat."

Rick nodded, "But it does mean that I'm looking at the world a little differently today." He explained.

Daryl nodded, letting his argument go. Rick was their leader, and he had made up his mind ... again. "Fine."

Rick nodded and smiled, "Thank you."

Daryl nodded and pointed at the cars up by the house, "We should post vehicles at each exit, surrounding the house." He explained, changing the subject, "And we can post lookouts at the windmill and barn. That way we have a 360 view of the area." He pointed out across the field.

Rick smiled, "Good ideas. I'll get a start on it." He said.

Daryl crossed his arms across his chest, pleased with himself. Security was the number one thing now, and Daryl had a few ideas on how to improve it. He was just happy Rick was actually taking his advice. Daryl cleared his throat, "I'm gunna go tell Serena I'm leaving, then go meet Shane." He looked at Rick, "Take it easy." Rick nodded at him as he walked away, towards the RV.

Serena was just putting a sleeping Amy down in her bassinet as Daryl came into the back room. He moved right past her, leaning down and kissing his little girl on the head before turning to talk to Serena, "Hey. I'm gunna go out on patrol with Shane. We'll probably be gone a n hour or so."

Serena looked at him with worry, "OK." She said nervously. She usually trusted that he would be safe, but after the loss she had experienced last night, she couldn't be so sure."

He looked down at her a minute, before reaching out and putting his hands on either side of her face, holding still as he leaned down and kissed her. She pushed into him, remembering the way they had held each other last night. Her fear was him leaving today and them never having that closeness again.

Finally he pulled away from her, "I'll be right back, I promise."

She shook her head, putting on hand up on his chest, "Don't make me promises that you can't be sure you'll keep."

He sighed, not knowing what to say. The best he could give her is that he would try his absolute best, and that would have to be good enough. He kissed her again, "I love you. That I promise you." He told her, walking back towards the front of RV.

She nodded, watching him go. "I love you too." She pointed at him, "Stay sharp."

He winked before walking down the stairs, "Always."

/

The cab of Otis' old blue truck was silent with Shane behind the wheel and Daryl in the passenger's seat. Andrea and T-Dog were out back, in the truck bed. Shane hand been speeding down the old, dirt roads for almost 20 minutes now without either of them saying a single word to one another, and Daryl couldn't help feeling a little bit of an attitude coming from Shane. Daryl was trying his best to ignore him. It's not like he was about to ask what was bothering him. He really couldn't care less.

As Shane tore along the road gravel started to fly up from the tires, hitting Daryl's arm that was hanging out the window. He jerked his arm inside, "Geez man, try to remember there are people sitting in the back." He said gruffly to Shane.

Shane looked over at him, "I know." He retorted, frustrated.

"Well I'm just saying ..." Daryl faded off, resting his head against his hand, letting the confrontation go.

Shane grumbled to himself, and then was quiet for a few minutes. Finally he looked at Daryl, "I'm really not that bad a guy you know."

Daryl snorted, "Only your own worst enemy." He shot back.

Shane shook his head, laughing a little to himself, "See man, I don't even know why I bother." He looked out the front window, clutching the steering wheel with anger, "We aren't so different, is what I'm trying to say." Shane started.

Daryl shook his head, "We ain't got nothing in common." He insisted.

"Sure we do." Shane went on, "We both want Randall dead. And when there were walkers in the barn, you wanted to kill them too, no questions asked." He looked over at Rick, "I think you have a lot more in common with me then you do with Rick."

Daryl looked at Shane for a moment. What was he up to? Where was he going with this? The idea that Daryl was anything like Shane scared him. Would he have killed Otis? It was a good question. To be honest, he didn't think he could say no without being put in that position.

"What's your point." Daryl finally said.

Shane shrugged, "I just think that it may be time for a change in leadership, you know. Rick seems hesitant to make any major decision, and that's not what we want. We want someone who's not gunna crack under pressure. Someone who is willing to let go of out old-world way of living."

Daryl was silent. Who would Shane suggest? Himself? Yeah right. And since when did Shane decide to campaign against Rick? They were supposed to be best friends.

After they had returned from trying to release Randall, Rick had told Daryl that Shane wouldn't be a problem anymore. It sounded to Daryl like Rick may have been mistaken about that.

Daryl looked out into the field, "Walker." He pointed out, luckily avoiding the conversation.

Shane pulled the blue pick-up over to the side of the road and the four of them jumped out, each with a weapon in hand. This was the third walker they'd seen so far. The most any of them had seen in a week. It was obvious that they we starting to wander out into the country, closer to their farm.

/

Serena walked into the house, where everyone was trying to sort out their things. In on hand Serena was holding the bassinet, in the other she had Amy's bug out bag. She scanned the living room for a space, but Hershel caught her first, "Set up upstairs, in the second room on the left. It's my son's old room. It's just small, but more private, for feeding the little one and such." He told her.

She smiled at him, "Thank you." She turned and headed up the stairs.

She passed both Beth and Maggie's room. The door to Beth's room was closed, her probably keeping to herself on the other side of the door. Inside Maggie's room Serena caught a glimpse of Glenn putting his things down on her bed. He had a look of nervousness on his face and he looked around at the room. Serena laughed to herself. That was possibly the first time Glenn had been permitted into a girl's room, never mind been asked to sleep with one of them.

At the end of the hall Serena found her room. The door was standing open and someone had managed to squeeze a double sized bed into the room, as well as a dresser at the end of the bed. Other then that there was barely room to move. Serena put the bassinet down on the bed, peeking in to be sure the baby was still asleep. She put the bug out bag down under the dresser, where it would stay out of the way, but be a quick access.

She then turned and peeked her head into Glenn int he next room, "Hey Glenn."

Glenn looked up from putting his things in the dresser, "Oh, hi." He acted like he'd just been caught somewhere he wasn't supposed to be, going red with embarrassment.

She smiled at him, "I was hoping you could help me move the RV up to the house?" She asked him, "I turned the key, but it's not starting."

He nodded, "Yeah, uh, you gotta tape it 3 times, then give it a twist." He smirked, probably remembering Dale telling him that.

Serena smiled and nodded, "I know, but it's still giving me problems."

Glenn nodded, "OK, I'll come down and get her started for ya."

"Thanks." Serena said to him. She knew that today, even a simple thing like starting the RV brought back memories of Dale, but it would be a long time before the thought of him disappeared from any of their minds.

/

**There you have it all. Getting close to the finale, and it makes me sad. I'll be going on hiatus with the show, and I'm not sure what I'll do with myself then. I'm considering a few different possibilities, but we'll have to see what happens. Anyways, enjoy my updates on this one for now.**

**Comment, like always.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Heres one more for everyone. A little treat on this Monday, after having to go through another Sunday with no TWD :( Hope you all enjoy.**

/

Serena was sitting out on the porch in the rocking chair as Daryl and the other's pulled up the driveway. She was holding Amy in her arms, and so she stayed in her seat, waiting for them to park and him to come up to meet her.

Daryl jumped out of the truck, taking his jacket off, looking up at the house, towards Serena. He folded the coat up, the inside of it facing out so she wouldn't see the blood from the walkers. He couldn't do anything about his hands, but hopefully she wouldn't notice.

Carl came running across the lawn towards them, "Shane!" He called, running over to him, "Can I talk to you?" He asked him. He looked over at Daryl, Andrea, and T-Dog as if the conversation wasn't meant for their ears.

Daryl was just as happy to leave the kid and Shane to their conversation, walking away from them and up onto the front porch. Serena looked up at him. She could tell from the look on his face that he'd had to make a kill today. He always looked guilty, like we was worried she would judge him for it. She didn't say a word about it, she just smiled at him, and then looked back down at Amy.

"Hey." He said, looking down at her too. He stood there for a moment, just taking the little girl in as she looked up at him with recognition. He then turned to the door, "I'm gunna go wash up." He said, "Then I have to go find Rick." He sighed, "He wants me to go with him to let Randall go."

Serena looked over at him, "Let him go?"

Daryl rolled his eyes and shrugged, "I guess so." He mumbled.

Serena shook her head, "And you have to go with?"

Daryl nodded, "Yeah. Taking Shane wasn't such a wise decision the first time."

Serena remembered what Shane had told her about his fight with Rick, shaking her head again. She sighed, "I guess not. But do you have to be the one to go instead?"

He knew what she meant. He'd just gotten back from one thing, and now he had to go out again. Leaving camp used to be so easy for him, but every time he left now he was leaving people he cared about behind. They would worry about him the whole time he was gone, and he would do the same for him. It was defiantly complicating his life, but he still had a duty to the group to do these things. He just looked at her for a moment, apologizing with his gaze.

She finally moaned, hanging her head, "Go." She said, waving at him.

Daryl leaned down, kissing her on the cheek, "I'll come back and find your before I leave." He said, turning to enter the house.

"You'd better." She called after him. If he ever went out there without her knowing, or saying goodbye, then she would probably loose her mind.

/

Serena could see Shane and Lori standing together by his car, down by the old windmill. Any time the two of them spoke it worried Serena, knowing how fragile Shane was about the affair between the two of them. The were standing quiet close, but neither of them seemed to be in any distress. They spoke for only a few minutes before Lori turned away from Shane, heading back up towards the house. She had her arms wrapped around the front of her, and she looked upset. Shane turned back to his work on the windmill, climbing back up the steel frame. Serena ignored Lori as she walked up the steps and in the house quickly, she figured he'd get the story from Shane later anyways.

A little while later Daryl and Rick came out of the house, joining her on the front porch. They both sat down on the railing beside her, talking to each other about their trip to let Randall go, "It sound be about an hour there, an hour back." Rick was saying.

"That means it will be dark before you get back." Serena butted in.

Rick nodded, agreeing with her, "Yes, but we should be in the car on out way back long before then."

"Should be?" Serena said.

Daryl looked at her, "It will be fine." He assured her.

"Carol is putting some provisions together for him," Rick went on, "enough to last him a few days at least."

Both men turned to see Shane pulling back up to the house, having finished up the lookout at the windmill. Shane jumped out of the car and walked towards them, looking up from the lawn below.

He was reaching for something in the back of his jeans, "Hey Daryl," He said, pulling a gun out from behind him, "I think this belongs to you." He reached up and placed the gun on the railing.

Daryl looked down at his gun in shock, "What the hell?" He looked at Shane.

Shane put his hands up, "Carl had it." He told them both.

"What!" Rick said, looking down at Shane.

Shane shrugged and smiled, "Yeah. I actually need to talk to you about that."

Daryl grabbed his gun up off the railing, putting it behind him. He turned to Serena, reaching out for Amy, "Common." He said quietly, motioning at the door to the house.

Serena handed him the baby before standing up herself. She could tell that Rick and Shane wanted to talk in private, and it seemed that they had a lot to talk about.

Daryl looked at Rick, "Hey, uh, just come get me when your done. We should get going soon, before we start loosing light."

Rick nodded, as Serena opened the door and Daryl and her entered the house, leaving the two men to another private conversation between the two of them. Hopefully this time there would be no blood drawn, but with the two of them, you could never be sure.

/

Daryl was laying on the bed in the tiny room of theirs, Amy laying across his chest. Serena was leaning in the doorway looking at the two of them.

Daryl smiled, "We had more space in the RV."

She looked at him, "At least it's private. Most people are sharing rooms downstairs." She told him, looking at the glass half full.

Rick appeared behind her in the hallway, "Hey, sorry." He huffed, rubbing his forehead.

Daryl stood up, handing Amy off to Serena. "So Carl took my gun?" Daryl asked, folding his arms.

Rick sighed, "It would seem that way. I'm sorry about that."

Daryl shrugged, "It's fine this time. But I still thought that gun was in the saddle bag of my bike," He explained, "And if there had been an attack and that gun wasn't there..." He stopped, shaking his head, "You need to explain to him that there are consequences to taking another person's weapon without permission."

Rick nodded, "I just had a little chat with him. That's what took me so long, I'm sorry." He assured Daryl.

Daryl nodded, "OK then." He turned to Serena, "I guess we're off."

Serena rocked back and forth beside him, patting Amy on the back lightly while she started to drift to sleep on her shoulder. She smiled, "I'll come out to see you off." She said.

The three of them walked down the stairs and out the front door to Rick's SUV was parked. T-Dog was filing the gas tank as they exited the house. He nodded up at the two men, "This should be enough to get you there and back, but I put a half a can in the trunk for you in case."

"Thank you." Rick said, walking down the steps towards him.

T-Dog shut the gas tank and nodded, "I'll go get Randall." He said.

Daryl nodded, "I have to get my bow." He told Rick, turning and heading towards his bike.

Serena walked down the stairs and over to Rick, "Hey Rick." She said, standing beside him, "Bring him back to me in one piece, OK?"

He sighed and smiled at her, "Don't worry." He told her, putting one hand up and brushing it through Amy's soft curls, "You and I both know that nothing is gunna stop him from coming back to you."

She nodded. She already knew that, but she felt a reassurance now that she knew that Rick had just as much confidence in Daryl as she did. She sighed too, "Thanks."

"Rick!" T-Dog called from across the yard, "Randall's gone!" He shouted.

"What!" Daryl called from behind them all. He shook his head, "How the hell?"

He and Rick ran towards the shed when they had been hold Randall. Serena followed close behind them. Daryl joined T-Dog at the shed, swinging the door open to have a look for himself. "Damn!"

T-Dog threw his hands up in the air, "I just reinforced this thing this morning!" He told them, frustrated.

Daryl frowned, "Where's the lock?"

T-Dog held it up in his hands, "It was on the door ... still locked."

Daryl frowned, "Then I don't get it ..." He trailed off, looking down on the ground by the door to the shed for clues.

"What happened?" Andrea said, running up beside Serena, who was standing watching them. A few others had noticed and run over too.

Serena shrugged, "Randall is gone."

"His cuffs are still hooked. He must have slipped them." Rick said, looking inside the shed.

Daryl shook his head, "It still doesn't explain how he got out."

Rick shrugged, looking up at the rafters. Nothing looked broken. It was a mystery.

"Rick!" Shane called from the woods near by. Daryl spun around, searching for him amongst the bushes, "Rick!" Shane suddenly appeared in front of them. His face was bashed up, his nose clearly broken, blood dripping down his face.

Serena eyes got wide, "What happened?" She called.

"He's armed! Took my gun!" Shane told them all, pointing behind him at the forest.

"Are you alright?" Rick asked, stepping towards him.

"I'm fine." He said, stepping back from Rick as he reached out for his face, "But he snuck up on me, clocked me in the face."

Rick turned to look at the crowd of people that had gathered at the shed, all looking at Shane with worry. Who would Randall attack next? Rick jumped into action, "Alright, Hershel, T-Dog, get everyone back int he house." He pointed at them, "Glenn, Daryl, come with Shane and I."

Daryl looked at Serena, "Go." He told her, pointing back at the house. He kissed her on the forehead before turning and walking towards Shane.

Serena frowned, trying to make eye contact with Shane, but he was avoiding her. "Shane!" She called to him. He looked at her for a moment, "Are you alright?" She asked, looking at him with worry.

He froze for a moment, taking a few deep breaths before nodding his head, "Yeah, I'm fine. Go, get to the house."

Serena was hesitant. She wasn't so sure. Shane looked disoriented, and his face was just a mess. But he held it together, turning with the rest of them, heading towards the tree line.

She held onto Amy tightly as Daryl turned and disappeared into the woods with the other men, crossbow in hand. Andrea grabbed her arm, pulling her towards the porch.

As soon as Serena stepped onto the steps Amy let out a shrill, loud cry that sent a shiver up Serena spine. She froze, having never heard such a distressing sound from her daughter. She lifted her down off her shoulders and into her arms. Amy squirmed, letting out more cries.

She wasn't hungry, Serena knew what that cry sounded like. She looked down at her daughter, who just seemed upset, for not reason. It was chilling, and Serena just held her, rocking her back and forth. She didn't know what else she could do. As Carol and Lori had both warned her, sometimes babies just cry. But Serena just couldn't help but feel that hearing her daughter wail like that, for the first time, had to be a bad omen.

/

**Oh man, oh man, things are about to get intense as we come to our last few chapters. It will be a thrill to write, I'm sure. I hope you all liked this.**

**Comment all.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Here's another one guys. Wow, I'm on a real role tonight. I'd better slow down ... I just don't want to come to the end yet.**

**I own nothing, but comment anyways.**

/

Daryl scanned the ground of the woods as the started to venture into it. Randall had escaped only a few minutes ago, and Shane had said he was running this way, and yet Daryl wasn't seeing any sign of him. He frowned looking at Rick, shaking his head, "I ain't seeing nothing." He said, confused.

Rick frowned, looking down at the ground in frustration. Shane looked at Daryl, "There ain't any use in trackin' him." He told them. He pointed to the North, "He went that way, OK, I saw him. Now we need to spread out, work in pairs, and chase him down."

Daryl squinted at Shane. There was something funny going on here. "That kid ways a buck 25 soaking wet. You expect us to believe he got the jump on you?" His gaze went from Shane over to Rick. He wasn't so naive as to believe Shane, was he?

"I'd say that the rock he smashed into my face pretty much evened us out, wouldn't you?" Shane shot back, pissed that anyone would question him at all.

Daryl laughed a little, turning away from a fired up Shane. Daryl was over Shane and his pigheadedness at this point, and felt it was safer for both of them if he just walked away from him when he got like that.

He looked at Glenn, "Fine, Me and the Korean will head up this way." He said, pointing up towards the ridge in the distance, towards where Shane had said.

"Remember," Rick said as Daryl and Glenn started to walk away, "Randall isn't the only threat out there. Keep and eye out for each other."

Shane was already walking away from Daryl, back to him. Daryl took the chance to warn Rick. He got Rick's eye before pointing up at his own eyes with two fingers, and then pointing at Shane. Rick nodded, as if he understood. Daryl couldn't help but be suspicious of Shane. Something other then Daryl had him on edge.

As Glenn and Daryl turned and started walking up towards the ridge Daryl noticed that Glenn was eyeing him with a smile on his face. Daryl looked over at him, "What?"

"You called me 'the Korean.'" He said, smiled still across his face.

Daryl shrugged, smiling a little to himself, "What? I pay attention." He shrugged, looking over at Glenn. To be honest, he hadn't even noticed.

/

Serena was upstairs in Hershel's room with Carl. She was sitting on the bed with her feet crossed, Amy laying on the comforter in front of her. She had calmed down shorty after her little tantrum, and was now exchanging faces with Serena. As Serena stuck out her tongue at her little daughter she too mental pictures of the glorious smile that would spread across her face. This is how she always wanted to remember Amy, full of joy, giggling up at her with wonder. She was completely oblivious to the world around her still.

Carl stood at the window with a pair of binoculars in his hand. It was starting to get dark, and there was no sign of any life out there still. He scanned the line of the woods, but pretty soon it would be too dark to see anyone, or anything anyways. He put the goggles down, "Uhh, where are they." He mumbled under his breath, turning away from the window.

Serena glanced over at him, "Hey buddy, why don't you come play with me and the baby." She suggested.

He rolled his eyes, "I don't wanna play with the baby."

She shrugged, "Fine, have it your way. I just thought that you might want the practise for when your younger brother or sister arrive."

Carl looked at her like she were an idiot, "I don't need to practise making faces." He told her, matter-of-factly.

She chuckled to herself, looking down at Amy and making another face. She almost couldn't believe Carl, he was just like his mother.

He cleared his throat, "I'm gunna go downstairs with my mom. Nothing is happening, so i think ti would probably be safe." He looked at her. She was hesitant, "And if my mom wants me to come back up here, I will, OK?"

Serena nodded, "OK." It seemed fair. Things had been quiet for a little while now, so she didn't see the harm in letting him go down. Beside, almost everyone else was down there too, surely someone could keep and eye on him.

/

It was dark out, and Daryl could hardly see anything in front of him, and walking in one direction was getting them no where. Shane and his stupid plans. He turned to Glenn, "This is pointless, give me that light." He said, grabbing the flashlight from his hands. He pointed it down on the ground. All around them the leaves were old and moist, so if they had been disturbed in the last hours, Daryl would be able to tell. He shook his head, "Let's go back. I'll start at the beginning and see if I can pick anything up." He suggested.

Glenn nodded, "Sounds better then walking around aimlessly."

So they went back to the entrance of the woods, back where Shane said that Randall had attacked him. Daryl still found that hard to believe. He had know Randall pretty well. If that kid had mannaged to escape, then he would have high-tailed it out of camp as fast as he could. Daryl doubted he would have wanted to draw attention to himself by attacking anyone. Honestly, the kid just didn't seem to have it in him.

Daryl scanned the light on the ground, catching a set of tracks on the ground, but going in the opposite direction of where Shane had said. Daryl rolled his eyes. Of course Shane lied. If Daryl had been more on the ball he would have checked over here the first time around. He pointed the tracks out to Glenn, "There are two sets of tracks right here, probably Randall's," He said, pointing at a small set of tracks, "and Shane's." He then pointed at a bigger, deeper footprint, probably because Shane was wearing work boots.

Glenn looked at Daryl, "These go the complete opposite way of where Shane said." He pointed out, turning and looking at where they had just come from.

Daryl shrugged, "Yeah ..." He sighed, "Let's follow them and see what we find."

The two of them walked quiet a ways. Daryl scanned the light along the ground as he walked, following the footprints.

Glenn looked back towards the edge of the woods, which was long out of sight, "Shane must have followed him longer then he said. This goes on a ways."

Daryl looked ahead of them, noticing something on the bark of a tree up head. He squinted, "Is that blood?" He moved towards it.

"Where?" Glenn jumped. He was acting a bit sketchy himself. Although Daryl had to remind himself that not everyone was as comfortable with the woods as he was. If they were in an abandoned office building right now, Glenn would be right in his element.

He pointed the flashlight right at the small circle of blood that was almost dry on the tree, "It is blood." Daryl said, looking at the ground around the tree, but there was nothing else. He search again for the footprints that they had followed to this point. The tracks started to become side by side, "These tracks," Daryl pointed, "it looks like they were walking together?" He was frustrated. He already knew something wasn't right, but the pieces just were coming together for him yet.

Daryl stopped for a minute as the forest up ahead of them was disturbed all around, and the footprints became shuffled, "Something went down right here." He pointed with the light.

"What?" Glenn asked him, expecting Detective Daryl to have all the answers by now.

He shrugged, "I don't know yet ..." He started to walk again, something on the ground up ahead catching his eye. As they approached he realized he was staring down at Randall's blindfold. The same one Daryl had rigged up for him. He cleared his throat, "And Randall loss his blindfold right here, it looks like."

Glenn was lost, "This is getting so weird ... Randall was blindfolded that whole time?"

The two guy looked at each other. Daryl was trying to come up with some other explanation then the obvious – Shane brought Randall out here to ...

From behind them came the rumble of a Walker, having caught their sent. Daryl spun around, swinging his bow around from his back and taking aim. He could barely see the thing coming out of the mist towards them, arms out in front of him. Glenn pulled out his weapon, but there would be no need for it. Daryl shot at the beast, who was almost up to a run when the arrow made contact with his skull. The monster went limp only a few yards from where they stood. Daryl let out a calm breath, collecting his arrow from the Walker brain, wiping it off with a rag hanging from his belt.

Glenn bent down next to the dead beast, looking at the thing's face, "Uh, Daryl ... I think this is Randall."

Daryl bent down over the Walker, grabbing it by the shoulder and flipping him over so that it's face was looking up at him. Daryl sighed, looking down at the poor kid that they had held hostage for a little over a week. He looked over at Glenn, "Yep." He knelt down beside Randall, taking a better look, "Looks like his neck was snapped." He told Glenn, starting to check the rest of his limbs for where he was bitten. A snapped neck does not explain why Randall became a Walker. He flipped him back over onto his back, looking for any sign of more blood, or even a scratch. He finally put Randall onto his back again, standing up and looking at Glenn, "He doesn't have any bites."

"Maybe a scratch?" Glenn suggested.

"Naw, I'm tellin' you, he's clean. He died from his neck being snapped. That's it." He rubbed his head, looking down at Randall's body. Nothing about today had seemed right, and this just put the icing on the cake.

"I ..." Glenn shook his head, "I just don't get it. How is that possible?"

Daryl shook his head and shrugged, he was just as thrown as Glenn was on this one. He nodded in the direction of the farm, "Common, lets go back to the house. We found Randall, he's dead. End of story."

The two men turned and started to walk away from the rotting body behind them. Glenn looked over at Daryl, "But who killed him?" He finally asked.

Daryl sighed. He didn't want to think about it. All signs seemed to point to Shane, but that didn't make much sense because Shane was out looking for him too. Maybe Daryl was wrong about Shane. Maybe he'd brought Randall out here and let him go, and he'd run into someone else. But that didn't sound like Shane. Just this morning he'd told Daryl that he wanted Randall dead too. It all left a pit in his stomach as they got closer to home, and for some reason his mind could not stop racing.

As they came out of the bushes near the house they heard a gun shot echo across the fields. The both froze for a moment, but the night went silent once again. Daryl motioned for the house, "Common, lets go."

The both ran into the house, entering the door next to the living room, where the majority of everyone was. Lori, Andrea, and T-Dog jumped to their feet as they entered the room. Daryl looked around at the familiar faces, Shane and Rick weren't amongst them, "Rick and Shane ain't back yet?" He asked, looking at Lori.

She shook her head, "Not yet."

"Shit." Daryl said under his breath, looking back at Glenn.

"What?" Lori asked, jumping in his face, "What's the matter?"

Daryl shook his head, "We heard a shot."

"Well maybe they found Randall." Lori suggested.

Daryl shook his head again, "We already found him."

"Is he dead?" Carol asked from over in the corner.

Daryl looked at her, "He is now. He was a walker when we found him."

"Did you find the walker that bit him?" Hershel asked, standing up from his seat on the couch.

As Hershel was speaking Serena came down the stairs, Amy passed out in her arms, after just eating. "Hey." She whispered, coming up beside Daryl.

He turned to look at her, startled for a moment. Once he saw it was her, he smiled, putting on arm around her, "Hey."

"That's the thing," Glenn explained, "when we found Randall we looked him over. He wasn't bit. His neck was snapped."

The others all frowned, looking blankly at Glenn. Lori sighed with frustration, stepping towards Daryl, "Will you please go find Rick and Shane so we can find out what's going on?" She asked him.

Daryl looked over at Serena, who was watching him and waiting for an answer as well. Every time he came back to her safe, he never seemed to stay long, and it was wearing on her today.

But this was Rick. And Daryl knew that something was up. He nodded at Lori, "Sure."

He turned back towards the door and Lori looked over at Serena, "Is Carl still upstairs?" She asked.

Serena looked at her with surprise, "What? No. He came down to find you a little while ago..." She trailed off as Lori face started to go white, "Don't tell me you never saw him?" She asked.

Lori looked as if she might shit herself, "No I never saw him! What the hell, Serena!" She went dashing up stairs, "Carl!"

Serena out her hand on her chest. What the hell was Carl thinking? And where the hell could he have gone?

Daryl burst back door to the house, looking at Serena with a worried look on his face. He took a breath before pointing to her, "Go get the bug out bag." He instructed her, "Go, quickly."

she didn't have to be told twice. She ran up the stairs, Amy still in her arms. Lori was in the hall when she reached the top of the stairs, "He's not here!" She cried, walking back towards the stairwell.

"We'll find him." Serena said, "Now go downstairs, something is happening."

She then pushed past Lori, going to the little room on the end that they had just moved into that morning. She put Amy down in the bassinet that was sitting on the bed before bending down at grabbing the bag under the dresser.

She then stood up, looking over at the lone window at the end of the bed. She walker over to it, looking out over the property. Her heart jumped out of her chest as she say the Walkers moving in a giant cloud across the farm field. She was frozen in her spot for a moment, but Amy's cries jerked her back into reality.

She moved back to the bed, peering down into the bassinet. Amy had her mouth open wide, just wailing away. Serena shook her head, putting one hand on her belly and rubbing it, "Shhh, quiet baby." She pleaded. She would normally still be asleep. She only went down about 20 minutes ago.

Amy stopped crying, but was no where near ready to shut her eyes again. Instead she looked up at her mother with a frown on her face, just staring. Serena took the chance to grab the bassinet and the bug out bag and head back down the stairs. It wasn't very often that Amy was in her bassinet when she was awake, and Serena was worried how she might react, but she didn't really have much of an option. There were Walkers everywhere, and Serena's only goal was getting her family out of their alive.

/

**Oh man, time to get down to business. Shane is dead, which is sad because no one even knows yet :( I don't even know how Serena will react when she finds out that Rick killed him ... I wouldn't wanna be Rick, that's for sure. **

**Anyways, what did you think? We're getting there, eh. Comment all.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Hey guys, here an action packed chapter for you all. I'll have you know that I re-wrote this thing three times before I was truly happy with the outcome. I hope you are all happy with it as well. Enjoy.**

**I own nothing :( But comment anyways. **

/

Serena stepped out of the house into chaos. Daryl was standing at the edge of the porch just around the corner from Serena, looking out across the field behind the barn, from where the giant hoard of Walker was coming from. Serena could see he was talking to Hershel and T-Dog, but she couldn't make out what he was saying.

She was frozen, not really sure what her next move should be. She had the baby, and the bug out bag, but no one else was heading for the vehicles yet. Lori grabbed her by the arm suddenly, pulling her out of her frozen daze.

"Serena!" She yelled at her, "Common, we are taking my SUV and getting out of here."

Serena turned her gaze away from Daryl to focus on the woman in front of her, "Huh?" She looked around her. Lori wasn't alone. Beth, Carol, and Patricia were standing before her too, looking terrified.

"Daryl says we have to leave, for our own safety. Common, he told me to take you too." She grabbed at the bassinet, taking it from Serena's hands.

Serena turned to look back where Daryl had been standing, but he was gone, along with Hershel, Glenn, Maggie, Andrea, T-Dog and Jimmy. They had all been standing right there moments ago. She jumped, "Where did they go?" She asked, worried.

"They're going to try to distracts them." She said, "He'll be right behind us. He told me to tell you he'll be fine." Lori turned then, walking in a hurry down the stairs of the porch, "Now let's go, they're close!" She screamed.

Serena looked down at the small woman carrying her daughter across the yard towards her vehicle. She didn't have much choice but to follow her. Serena turned and looked back towards the barn.

"The barns on fire!" She screamed, pointing back at it. Her view then moved from the barn down at the lawn just in front of the house. Several Walkers had moved up towards them, and were now only a few yards away. She turned back to the women who were standing on the porch still, "Let's go, let's go." She ushered them towards the SUV, where Lori was standing at the driver's side door. Serena put one finger to her mouth, "Go quietly." She whispered to them. She didn't think that the Walkers near the house had caught wind of them yet, and they still had a chance of getting out of there unnoticed if they were quiet.

And then, from across the lawn where Lori was standing, Amy let out a loud shriek that carried out into a full blown cry. Serena though her heart was going to jump out of her chest as her walk turned into a run as she flew across the lawn to where Lori was holding the bassinet. Serena heard another roar, but one of a Walker, coming from closely behind the women as the crossed the lawn too, coming towards the car.

Serena threw open the back seat of the SUV and pushed the bassinet, with a still wailing Amy inside, across the seat into the centre. Shots rang out across the farm as the others, in cars of their own, drove through the field shooting as many Walkers as the could. Serena could hear the low rumble of Daryl's bike out there too. The thought made her sick, and she jumped in the back of the car beside her daughter.

She shut the door as Lori jumped in the drivers seat, calling to the others, "Common! Common!"

Serena opened the bassinet and started to rub her daughter's stomach, trying to sooth her. She was still crying, but she quickly started to quiet down. She looked across the seat and out the window at the three women coming towards them. Carol was almost at the passenger's door, with Beth behind her, hanging onto Patricia's hand.

Serena watched in horror as a Walker moved up behind Patricia, grabbing her hair and pulling her head backwards, taking a good, solid bite of her neck. "Nooo!" Beth called, still holding Patricia's hand as other Walkers attached onto the woman and pulled her away.

"Beth!" Carol called, going back for the girl, grabbing onto her and pulling her away from the feast.

Serena opened the door again, jumping out of the SUV and closing the door behind her, leaving Amy and Lori inside the car. She rounded the hood of the SUV and pulled out her gun, which was always attached to her belt. She took aim as a few Walkers came after Beth and Carol. Serena let a few bullet's fly, and was quite pleased with herself to see 2 Walkers stop dead behind the women and fall to the ground. Serena ran towards the hoard a little more, as Carol and Beth passed her, reaching the vehicle safely.

She started to circle wide around the group of Walkers that were on the ground, ripping apart Patricia's remains. It was sick, the way they devoured her, and it made her furious. That lovely women did not deserve this end. Serena started to shoot at the pile of Walkers furiously.

"Serena!" She suddenly heard a vice calling over her shots. She stopped, tuning to look at the car she had just left. Carol had her window down and was calling to her, but it was too late. Walkers had come out of nowhere and were coming around Lori's car towards her, completely cutting off any chance of her making it back to Amy.

Serena walked backwards a few stepped, mouth hanging open. Lori started up the SUV, looking over at Serena with worry. Serena shot two of the Walkers closest to her, and then waved at Lori, telling her to go. She wanted to be sure that Amy got out of there, even if she didn't. She pulled the trigger again, but nothing happened, her gun was empty. Lori put the car into drive and pulled away from her, hitting a few walkers as she drove away. The pit in Serena's stomach got bigger and she turned, looking around her. It was dark, and there was nothing but forest behind her. Forest, and Hershel's old work shed.

She headed across the grass towards the shed, off behind a few trees. She could hear the rumbles of the monster's behind her, and she was freaking out. If she could get to the shed, she could lock herself inside. But then what?

Suddenly Serena could hear someone screaming her name. She turned, looking back at the Walker's. Andrea was running along behind them with a hatchet in her hand. She clunked a few on the head and they dropped as she passed them. "Here." She called, tossing the hatchet out of her hand and cross the lawn to where Serena was standing. Serena picked up the hatchet, pleased to have a weapon of some kind again. Andrea then pulled out her gun, placing a few head shots before waving at Serena, "Common, T-Dog is waiting at the truck with Rick, Carl, and Hershel." She screamed, pointing up at the house.

It was dark and Serena couldn't see the truck. She frowned, but went along with Andrea's plan anyways. The two of them ran towards the house. Things were getting out of hand though. Walker's were wandering around the property everywhere, no longer all coming from one direction. They were all on the hunt too, raging after the girls as they crossed the grass towards their ride.

From around a tree came one walker, grabbing at Serena's arm. She jump out of reach, swinging her hatchet at the Walker's head. The first hit only stunned it, knocking it back, giving Serena the chance to take three more heavy swings at it. Finally the Walker stopped moving and dropped to the ground. Serena felt disgusting. That had been the first walker she had been forced to kill, up close, with anything but a gun.

She turned around to see Andrea being jumped by a walker, pushing her down. Andrea took a shot, but the walker dropped down on top of her. "NO!" Serena screamed, turning her head to look away. She didn't want to see her best friend devoured by those things. Instead she turned back to the house and kept on running. If she stopped to mourn Andrea, she would most definitely die. Her good-byes would have to wait.

She ran up around the house, looking for the blue truck of Otis', but saw nothing. It wasn't anywhere to be found. They must have left. It was the only explanation. And Serena was left behind. Completely alone.

She stopped on the lawn where all the cars had been parked only 15 minutes ago and took a deep breath. She was trying to decided if there was any point in keeping going. She was going to die. She needed to accept that much. She turned to look at the barn, fully a blaze now. She couldn't believe what had become of the farm in such a short time.

Walkers started to moan around her and sighed. She started to run down the driveway, away from the house. If she was going to run somewhere, it might as well be in the same direction everyone else had gone. The monsters snarled at her heels as she ran and she looked up at the night sky, "Help! Help!" She screamed. If god were ever going to work a miracle, now would be the time.

The low rumble of a motor cycle motor starting was like music to Serena ears. Daryl quickly appeared on his bike from down the lane. When he saw her his eyes got wide and he looked pissed. He pulled his pike to a stop and pulled his gun out of his pocket, aiming it at the Walker's running behind Serena, "Get on, now!" He called to her.

She ran to the motorbike, siding in behind him on the leather seat. She was out of breath, and for the first time in her life she was happy to see him on the back of this bike. After taking down a few Walkers with some head shots, he put his gun back in his pocket and turned the bike, peeling back down the drive, away from the lost farm.

Serena pulled her feet up and wrapped her hands around him as he sped up down the dirt road, the moans of the Walker's disappearing from her ears the father they got from them. She leaned into him and rested her head on his back, protecting her from the cool night air rushing past them. She had never been on a motor cycle, ever. It was both exhilarating, and frightening.

As they drove the sun started to rise, bringing some light to the day. The old, country roads were busy with Walker's, wandering around aimlessly. As Daryl manoeuvred the bike around them they hissed and reached out for him and Serena, but none of them were coordinated enough to get a good hold.

Finally they came to the turn for the highway, and Daryl brought the bike to a stop. He turned it off and jumped off the bike, pacing back a forth beside it. Serena stayed on the bike, just following him with her gaze. She wasn't sure what he was doing.

Finally he stopped and looked at her, folding his arms over his chest, "Where's Amy?"

"She's with Carol and Lori." She told him, "She's safe."

"Last you saw her." Daryl said with frustration. He grumbled something under his breath and shook his head, "You were supposed to be gone!" He told her, "I told Lori to get you to safety."

She stood up off the bike, and moved towards him, "We were attacked. Things didn't exactly go as planned." She explained, reaching out and taking his hands in hers, "We lost Patricia." She told him. She paused for a moment, taking a breath, "We also lost Andrea."

Daryl looked down at her, a look of worry in his eyes. He let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her, "I'm sorry." He told her. It was the best he could do. He hadn't been there to stop it, and he hated himself for it.

She buried her face in his chest and let a few tears fall. She breathed in his smell and reminded herself that he was safe. At least she still had him. She pulled back from him, sniffling, "We should go. We need to meet up with everyone. Amy's waiting for us." She turned back to the bike.

"Hey." Daryl said, grabbing a hold of her hand. She turned to look at him, and he sighed, "I'm so glade you're alright."

Serena smiled for a moment, stepping back towards him and kissing him. As her lips were pressed against his she savoured the moment. God, she was glade he's was alright too. If anything had happened to him, she didn't know if she'd be able to go on. But he was alright, he was always alright.

Finally they broke apart and jumped back on the bike. Daryl revved it up and took off down the highway. They were only driving a few minutes when Serena noticed Shane's green car driving up a head of them. She smiled and pointed at it, hoping Daryl would notice it too. He nodded and then pointed farther up a head of that, at the blue pick-up truck of Otis' parked near the car that he had set up for Sophia. Parked with it was also Lori and Rick's SUV. A great sign of relief to Serena.

Daryl weaved the bike through the abandoned cars, bringing it to a stop by the rest of the vehicles the others had used. Serena was off the bike before he even had it turned off.

Amy was coddled up in Lori's arms quietly and Serena raced to her, "Oh thank god. Thank you." She reached out.

Lori smiled at her and passed Amy to her, "She's been quiet since we left the farm. Just a complete angel."

Serena nodded, "She's probably be up soon, ready to eat again." She looked down at Amy's sleeping body, safe and warm, wrapped up in her small baby blanket. Serena sighed, "I can't believe I let you go." She whispered to her little daughter.

"Yeah." Lori jumped in, "What were you thinking?" She said.

Serena looked blankly at Lori for a minute. She was thinking she was saving Beth and Carol. But she wasn't about to go into that with Lori. She had made a mistake leaving Amy, but she didn't need parenting advise from Lori, "I see Carl is safe and sound, too." She said, nodding over at Carl, standing with his father.

Lori's face went red and she looked over at her son. It hadn't occurred to her that she didn't have a clue where he kid had been either. She was just a hypocrite. Serena turned away from her, as Daryl walked towards her, looking down at Amy with relief. He put his arm out and ran it through Amy's soft curls, a smile growing across his face. Not a hair on her head had been touched.

"Is this everyone?" Daryl finally asked, looking over at Rick.

"So far." He shrugged.

Serena looked around. She sighed, "Patricia is gone." She said quietly, looking over at Beth, who was crying into her father's shoulder. Maggie and Glenn were standing beside them holding hands tightly. "And Andrea." She told them all.

Glenn looked over at Serena with a shocked look, "You saw her go down?"

Serena nodded, "Yeah. I saw it." She gulped, thinking back to the Walker, dropping down on top of her friend. She shook her head, and looked around again, "Wait." She looked over at Rick, "Shane?"

Rick froze for a moment, looking at her with a sad face. He shook his head, "No." Was all he said.

Serena couldn't believe it. Shane wasn't dead. Nothing could kill that guy, he always came back. He was one of the smartest, strongest, and sharpest shooters that she had ever met, and she would not accept he was dead, "Maybe he got out. You know Shane. I mean, did you loose him?" She persisted.

"No." Rick said bluntly, "He's dead." Serena left it at that. She knew there had to be more to the story, but the whole subject seemed to be agitating him.

"What about Jimmy?" Beth piped up, looking around.

Daryl nodded, "He was in the RV."

"It got over run." Rick added, shaking his head.

"Oh." Beth said, sniffling a little and burying herself back into her father's arm.

"So now what?" T-Dog asked, looking at Rick, "I say we go east."

Rick shrugged, "We can't stay here, there a Walkers all over the roads."

Daryl nodded, "We need to steer clear of the main roads, there will be less of them." He pointed down the highway at a lone walker, coming towards them. He picked up his bow off the seat of his bike and shot an arrow down into it's skull before it got anywhere near them. He then walked down towards it, to collect his ammo.

Rick looked around at the rest of the group, "I guess east is as good a direction as any to head. We should get a move on though, there will be more of those things if we stay here long."

"I've only got so many arrows." Daryl said, joining them again, "How's everyone on ammo?"

Rick looked around at everyone. He shook his head, "We haven't got much." He said.

Daryl winced, "Let's get on the road then, maybe we'll find something."

Rick nodded, "OK everyone. T-Dog, leave Otis' truck. We'll take our SUV and Shane's car. I think they'll carry everyone."

Daryl nodded, "I'll ride my bike."

Serena looked over at him, "Still?"

He chuckled a little, "Don't you think this bike came in handy tonight? I thought you'd be over your hatred for it by now."

Serena shook her head, "The fact that it saved my ass tonight does not make it any more safe."

Daryl rolled his eyes, some things never change.

/

**There you go. What do you think? It sticks with the show, same as always, but it was from the point of view of my OC. I loved it. It was pretty exciting to write. All 4 versions, lol. **

**But I want to hear your thoughts, so get at it all.**

**:)**


	35. Chapter 35

**Final chapter all! Then I'll be going on a hiatus from this story, until TWD Season 3 starts up, then I shall be back, promise! So enjoy this long chapter for now, and saviour it, until next October.**

**I own nothing, except Serena!**

/

Serena was sitting in the very back seat of the Grime's SUV with Amy's bassinet on the seat beside her. Amy was in her arms, feeding. In the back seat of a moving vehicle was the most privacy Serena was going to get to do this today.

Rick was at the wheel, with Rick in the passenger's seat. Lori and Carl were in the middle set of seats, right ahead of Serena. Their vehicle was driving behind the rest. With Daryl on his bike at the lead, and Maggie, Hershel, Carol, Beth and Glenn in the green car between them.

They had been travelling along the highway for about an hour, with generally smooth sailing. They had driven past a few Walkers, but hadn't really be disturbed by them at all. There seemed to be no sign of human life at all, just trees and brush.

The SUV started clicking and chugging along, and Rick smacked the steering wheel, "Damn it."

"We running low on gas?" Lori asked from behind him.

Rick shook his head, "No, we're out. We've been on empty for the past half hour or so."

"Great." T-Dog huffed, "You better let them know, so we don't get left behind."

Rick laid on the horn for a moment, trying to get the others' attention. Daryl slowed his bike down, turning it around and driving back towards them. Glenn pulled the vehicle ahead of them off to the side, Rick pulling to a stop behind him.

Serena stayed in her seat while the others jumped out of the car. Amy was still feeding and she knew better then to stop her half way through a meal.

Daryl stopped the bike beside Rick and Lori's car, standing up and peeking in at Serena. She smiled and winked at him, waving with her free hand. He smiled back, realizing why she was still in the car.

He then looked at Rick, "Are you out?" He pointed at the car.

Rick nodded, "Yeah."

Daryl looked around. There was nothing around them. Up the road a bit there was a turn off, which probably led somewhere. But with only on vehicle, they couldn't go anywhere all together. But they needed to find shelter, or something. Being out in the open on the highway did not sound good to Daryl.

He pointed up the road, "I'll ride ahead, see if I can find a place for us to bunker down for the night. We can regroup tomorrow and look at our options. Sound good?"

Rick didn't seem so pleased with the idea, "I want us to stay together."

Daryl shrugged, "Well that ain't gunna get us anywhere."

Rick nodded. He knew Daryl plan made sense, he just didn't like the idea that he hadn't come up with the plan.

Rick nodded, "Fine, ride a head, see what's up there." Daryl nodded, "Take Glenn with you." Rick added.

Daryl froze for a moment, turning to look at Glenn, who seemed just as pleased at the idea of riding bitch on Daryl's bike. Daryl rolled his eyes, but accepted the back up. If he had to take someone, he would rather it be Glenn anyways, he was smart, and a good shot when under pressure.

He turned and opened the back door to Rick's SUV, poking his head in at Serena, "Hey, I'm going down the road to see if I can find shelter."

Serena nodded, "Fine. Be careful." She waved at him. She didn't like the idea, he could tell. But she was getting used to him coming and going. As long as he always came back, he had to make sure he would always come back.

He shut the door to the car and turned to his bike, jumping on and turning to look at Glenn, who was standing beside the bike awkwardly. "Get on." He told him with annoyance.

"Oh." Glenn jumped, "OK, right." He swung his leg up and over the bike, sliding into the seat behind Daryl.

Daryl cleared his throat, "And hold onto the seat. Don't you dare touch me, ya hear."

"Yeah." Glenn said from behind him, "Got it."

Daryl nodded, "Good." He said, starting the bike and pulling away from the group at the side of the highway.

He sped up along edge of the highway, turning off at the exit onto a old, paved road. He turned onto it and scanned the road up a head for a house or barn of some kind. Around them was mostly fields, reminding him of the farm they had just come from.

Only about five minutes along the road a mail box came into view. He slowed down as they came to it. He looked up the drive towards the old house, sitting along in the middle of an old field. He looked behind him at Glenn.

Glenn shrugged, "Let's check it out."

As Daryl pulled onto the lane and moved his bike slowly towards the house he realized that it had probably been abandoned several years before the apocalypse. It once had been painted white, it looked like, but the paint was all chipped off, turning the wooden, two story house grey. It was all boarded up from the outside, which would be handy if they chose to stay here for the night.

Daryl stopped the bike and the two men jumped off. There was nothing fancy about the house. There was no front porch, just the door, with a cinder block for a single step up. Daryl moved towards the door, pulling at the wood that covered it. The nailed were loose and with a few good yanks he could probably get it off.

He looked at Glenn, "I can probably get this open." He told him.

Glenn nodded, "I'll help you." He grabbed the other side of the wooden plank that cover the door.

Together the two guys managed to rip the blockade from in front of the door. They threw the old wood to the side, and Daryl moved back to the door, turning the handle and opening the the door to the musty old house.

Inside the house had several disregarded couches and chairs though out the room that they first walked into. The house was small, and dark, with all the windows boarded up. Luckily, Glenn had brought a flashlight with him. He shined it into the back of the house.

The main floor of the house was pretty much all open. It had a kitchen sectioned in at the back, along with the stairwell, heading up stairs. The main floor would be perfect for fitting everyone inside for the night, even if the top floor was unsafe for any reason. There was also a washroom off to the side of the kitchen, but Daryl know there would be no running water, so it didn't matter.

Glenn went along the cupboards in the kitchen, checking each one. He groaned, "Empty. They're all empty."

Daryl nodded, "I don't think anyone has lived here for a long time." He said.

Glenn agree. He moved towards the stairs, "Wonder what's up here."

Daryl moved towards him, "Move slowly when you get up there. We don't know if the flooring is safe."

Glenn nodded, moving up the stairs to the top floor of the house. Down the little hall up stairs were 4 bedrooms, 2 rooms on either side of the hallway. The flooring was creaky, but relatively safe.

Once they had been though the whole house Daryl decided that the house would be alright to camp out in for the night, "I'll go back and get the others. We'll have to make a few trips to get everyone back here."

Glenn nodded, "Right. And I'll stay here?"

"Yeah." Daryl said, "If that works for you."

Glenn thought about it for a moment, a little nervous, "Um, sure, OK."

Daryl smiled at Glenn. Everyone was a little freaked out after last night, but this house seemed fine. There were no walker's inside, and there was nothing, anywhere close to them.

He turned, walking out the front door, "I'll be back with the others." He called to Glenn from behind him.

/

Amy had fallen asleep in her bassinet only a few minutes ago, and Serena had left her in the back seat of the SUV. She was standing with the others at the hood of the SUV.

Maggie looked around at the forest and surroundings, "Look around." She said, "There is nothing anywhere."

"Daryl will find a place." Serena said with confidence.

"But for how long?" Maggie asked, "Look what happened at the farm. We fooled ourselves into thinking we were safe."

"We won't make that mistake again." Hershel told her.

Rick shook his head, "There has to be a place that we can fortify. Where we can hunker down, pull ourselves together, and build a life for ourselves."

Serena looked over at Rick. The thought was nice, to not have to live life on the road. To allow her daughter to grow up in one place. A place that is safe, a home. It was all a nice idea, but she hadn't seen a place yet that could offer that for them.

The rumble of Daryl's bike came from up the road and everyone turned to watch him approach. When he pulled to a stop Maggie looked as if she might have a heart attack.

Daryl turned to look at her, "Lover boy's fine. I left him at the safe house." He told her, jumping off his bike.

"You found a spot?" Rick asked him.

"An old abandoned house, about 10 minutes up the road. It's already all boarded up. Pretty safe." Daryl told him.

Rick nodded, "Good. We'll camp there for the night." He told them all.

"At least it's safer then out in the open." Maggie said, "So Walkers won't stumble upon us, or another group like Randall's."

Daryl nodded, "No, it's seemed fine." He looked at Rick, "We should start hauling people up there." He said, "It will be getting dark soon."

Rick nodded, "Alright people, let's get a move on."

/

Glenn had dragged a wheel into the house from around back, to use as a fire pit inside the house. They couldn't burn a big fire, but at least they could build something that would throw off a little heat, and provide light, since the sun had gone down.

The group gathered around the fire on the ground of the main room, downstairs. Rick had insisted they all stay together in the one room, for safety. There was still a possibility that a hoard of Walkers could come walking past the house, they seemed to be migrating or something.

Serena and Daryl were sitting together against one wall of the house, wrapped under a large, dusty comforter that they had found up stairs. Amy was passed out beside them in the bassinet. Everyone was quiet, each taking in their own thoughts.

Daryl had his arm draped around Serena's shoulder, and she had her head leaning back on it. She looked over at him, whispering so that only he could hear, "There's something not right with Rick." She said to him.

Daryl shrugged, "He's on edge. We all are since last night."

Serena shook her head, "It's not that..." She thought about her wording for a minute, "I think we should just think things over before we go along aimlessly with whatever Rick says."

Daryl shook his head, "Rick's always done right by me."

Serena shook her head, "I'm just not so sure."

Daryl chuckled a little, shaking his head. He didn't say anything. Rick had been acting strange since the farm, but then again, everyone acted a little strange from time to time.

Daryl cleared his throat and looked across the room at Rick, "You know, we found Randal eh?" He said, breaking the silence.

Rick frowned, "No. What happened."

Daryl glanced over at Glenn for a moment before starting his story, "He had turned, but he wasn't bit. Someone had snapped his neck, that's how he died." Rick was silent from across the room, just staring at Daryl.

"That's impossible." Serena said, looking over at him.

Daryl sighed and shook his head, "You don't seem surprised?" He said to Rick.

Rick groaned and nodded, "We're all infected." He finally said.

Serena looked around the room at the confused faces of her friends. Rick wasn't making sense to any of them.

Daryl leaned forward, "What?"

Rick sighed, "At the CDC, Jenner told me we all carry the disease."

Serena shook her head, "And you never said anything?"

"Rick?" Lori looked over at her husband, just as shocked as the rest of them.

Rick shrugged, "How could I have known for sure? You saw how crazy Jenner was in the end."

"That was not your call." Glenn piped up, "You should have told us." He told Rick in anger. For a moment, Serena heard a glimpse of Dale in the young man's voice.

"Well I thought it best if people didn't know." Rick huffed.

"You're decision wasn't made for the best of everyone." Carol said to him.

Rick was starting to get angry, "Every decision I make is for the good of everyone. I'm the one keeping this group together, alive, no matter what. I've been doing that all along." He groaned and stood up, looking around at the concerned faces of his followers. He shook his head, "You know, I didn't ask for this." He pointed at the ground, "I killed my best friend for you people for Christ's sake!"

Serena's mouth dropped as she looked up at Rick. She knew there had been more to the story of Shane's death. He stomach dropped as she realized what probably happened. Their love triangle had finally come to a head, and Rick had come out on top.

"You killed Shane." Serena finally said, putting one hand to her chest. He gaze shifted from Rick down to Lori, who was sitting on the ground holding Carl. She didn't seem very upset, which pissed Serena off.

"You saw what he was like." Rick started, "You all saw how he pushed me, how he compromised us. How he threatened us."

"He never threatened me!" Serena yelled at him, "And I never saw him compromise you wife or son's safety." She pointed across the room at Lori. If Lori wasn't going to defend Shane at all, then Serena was damn well gunna.

Daryl put his hand on her arm, quieting her, "Shh, Serena, just let Rick explain." He then turned and looked at Rick, waiting for his explanation.

Rick nodded at Daryl, "He set the whole Randall thing up. He killed him, then led me out into the bush with the intent of putting a knife in my back. He left me no choice." He turned and looked Serena in the eyes, "He was my friend, and he came after me. My hands are clean."

Carl started to cry, burying his head into his mother's chest. Lori was looking away from Rick, like she couldn't bare to look at him.

Serena shook her head and stood up, folding her arms across her chest, "You know, it's real convenient that Shane pushed you to do something that works in your best interest anyways." She shook her head and started to walk away from the group, towards the stairwell. She had no desire to be around Rick at the moment.

"Well why don't you go on then." He called after her. She stopped, turning to look at him. He continued, "If you think you'd be better off without me, then leave. The door is right there." He told her, pointing at the door to the house, which was shut tight at the moment. He turned and looked around at the rest of the group, "Now's your chance." He told them all, "Any takers?"

Serena stood her ground by the stairwell. She didn't say anything, she just glared at Rick. She wasn't going anywhere. If she wasn't mistaken, it had been her boyfriend that found this place to begin with. No one else spoke up, they just stared up at Rick too.

Rick nodded, "Fine. But get one thing straight, if you're staying, this isn't a democracy anymore." He huffed at them all.

Lori stared up at her husband in shock, while everyone looked around the room at one another. This wasn't the Rick they knew, the one they had wanted to be their leader. He was making everyone nervous.

Rick groaned and sat back down on the floor of the house, leaning back against the wall. Serena stood in her spot for a moment, taking in what Rick had just told them. Her emotions about Shane were getting the best of her, and now more then ever she wanted him here, to give his say in what Rick was doing. She missed Andrea too. Her 2 outspoken friends were now gone, and it was all getting to her.

She turned and rushed up the stairs. She didn't give a fuck what Rick said at this point, she just wanted some privacy. She marched to the end of the hallway upstairs, throwing open the last bedroom door. Inside was an old mattress laying on a rusty old metal bed frame. Serena threw herself down on it, burying her head in her arms and cried into the bed. She let her grief take over and she mourned for her two friends.

She sobbed for a few minutes, before she heard the flooring creak out in the hallway. She lifted her head and turned to see Daryl in the doorway. He smirked at her and placed the bassinet down on the floor beside the bed, before sliding onto the mattress beside her. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her into his chest.

She sniffled and rubbed her face against his shirt, soaking in the warmth of his body, wrapped around her. She sighed and breathed him in, more then happy to lay there with, him making all her worries disappear.

Finally he spoke, "I'm sorry." He whispered. She lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him. He shrugged, "For Shane, and for Andrea."

Serena nodded, "Thank you." She kissed him softly, surprised that he had been able to tune into what was bothering her.

Daryl pulled back and looked at her, pushing a strand of hair out of her face, "Don't be too hard on Rick. Shane really was up to something out in those woods yesterday. Even I could sense it." He told her.

She sighed. She loved Shane, but she did know him. And she couldn't put it past Shane to try and kill Rick, especially if he thought there was a chance of him and Lori being together. She nodded, "I was just upset." She said, "I'll forgive him."

Daryl smiled, "That's all I ask." He told her, pleased.

They were quiet again, laying together, entwined in the bed. She shut her eyes and sighed heavily. Wrapped up in Daryl's arms made the events of the past 24 hours not seem so bad. In the end, she was just pleased to still have him. In this world, loved one were a precious commodity, and Serena's 2 loved ones were right there in the room with her still. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, right where she wanted to keep him forever ... or at least for the rest of the night.

/

**There you have it, for now. I hope you liked my conclusion of Season 2, and come back for more when Season 3 starts back up. Until then, I'm sure I'll write something else to keep me busy. You'll have to all check back to see what I'm writing. Who know, you might all like that too.**

**Anyway, thanks for all the love and comments in my past 2 Seasons of this story. I love all the feedback and this story in general. Don't forget about me when October rolls around again! Bye for now.**


	36. Season 3 Link

**Hello everyone! I wanted to let you all know that I have started to write Season 2 of this story. It's located at this link:**

** www**** .fanfiction s/ 9071844/1/ Carrying-a-Burden-Season-3**

**(no spaces)**

**Or you can go to my profile page and access it that way. It's way more Daryl, Serena, Amy, and the whole gang, starting out in Season 3 of The Walking Dead TV Series. Hope you catch up with them.**

**Thanks Guys, xo,**

**FireWithin01**


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